What To Do If You’re Experiencing Homelessness
If you don’t have a permanent address or a bank account, you can still get a stimulus check. “The IRS has been continuing to work directly with groups inside and outside the tax community to get information directly to people experiencing homelessness and other groups to help them receive Economic Impact Payments,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said.
The IRS recommends using a trusted friend, relative or shelter’s address so the agency can mail your payment if you’re unable to receive direct deposit. The agency also says banks will help a person without an account to open a low-cost or no-cost bank account.
Child Dependents Who Are 17 Years Old
The $900 billion stimulus package directs $600 to each child in a family as long as they are considered “qualifying children” under the IRS tax code for the Child Tax Credit. Unfortunately for parents of older teens, the tax code defines “qualifying children” as those who haven’t yet hit their 17th birthday.
In other words, the $600 will be directed to children ages 16 or younger.
The IRS will use people’s 2019 tax returns to determine their stimulus payments, which means that teens who hit their 17th birthday in the second half of 2020 after tax returns were due to the IRS could still qualify.
Stimulus Checks: Who Gets One Who Doesn’t
The stimulus checks that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said will be deposited into Americans’ bank accounts “within three weeks” won’t be enjoyed by everyone. That’s because the massive $2 trillion stimulus package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Security Act, excludes some Americans from receiving the one-time payments, which are set at $1,200 for adults and $500 for children.
Here’s who won’t get a stimulus check:
- Children who are 17 or 18 years old.
- Many college students between the ages of 19 to 23.
- Adults who can be claimed as dependents.
- Nonresident aliens .
- Estates.
- Individuals who earn more than $99,000 or married couples earning more than $198,000.
- People who haven’t filed 2018 and 2019 tax returns.
You May Like: Irs.gov Third Stimulus Check
My Stimulus Payment Went To The Wrong Bank Account
If the Get My Payment tool tells you your check will be direct-deposited, it will also provide the last four digits of the number of the bank account into which your stimulus payment will be deposited. For the initial checks, some individuals saw that their deposit was going to an old bank account, or they even saw bank account numbers that they didn’t recognize. Here’s what to do:
- If the tool says that your payment was deposited into your bank account but you haven’t seen it yet, your bank may still be processing it.
- You won’t necessarily get the third check direct deposited, even if the first or second one was direct deposited.
- If your third stimulus payment is sent to a closed bank account, the bank is required to transfer the money back to the IRS. The IRS will not redeposit it to you or mail you a paper check. Instead, you will have to file your 2021 tax return to claim your “Recovery Rebate Credit.” See below for instructions on claiming the rebate on your tax return.
- If H& R Block submitted your last tax return and you signed up for a “refund transfer,” the IRS might deposit your stimulus payment with H& R Block . H& R Block should transfer the money to your bank account within 24 hours.
- Those who submitted their last tax return with Turbo Tax should receive their payments in the same bank accounts through which they received their tax refunds.
Will I Get A Check If I Have Other Income

If you receive income in addition to your disability benefits that makes your combined income over $75,000, your stimulus payment will be reduced. Similarly, if you are married and file a joint return, and your income combined with your spouse’s income is over $150,000, you’ll receive a reduced payment. Your stimulus payment, including any payment for dependents, will be reduced by a percentage of the amount over those thresholds.
What income does the IRS look at to determine if your payment should be reduced? The IRS will use your “adjusted gross income” from your 2020 tax return . If you didn’t file a tax return, the IRS will use your income from your Social Security or SSI checks.
Recommended Reading: Where Is My 2020 Stimulus Check
Received A Payment In Error
If you received the Golden State Stimulus payment and believe this is an error, please review the eligibility qualifications above to verify this is an erroneous payment. Once verified, follow the instructions that correspond to the payment received:
Direct deposits:
Paper checks that have not been cashed:
ATTN: Golden State Stimulus FundFranchise Tax Board
What If My Income Is Lower Than When I Filed My Last Tax Return
If you had decreased income in 2020 due to starting disability benefits and/or losing a job, you might be eligible for the money but you might not get a third stimulus check in 2021. This might happen if you filed a tax return for 2019 income that’s above the $75,000 or $150,000 thresholds, but you made less income in 2020. You should be able to get the stimulus payment as a rebate if you file a 2020 tax return.
You May Like: When We Getting Stimulus Check
Use Our Calculator To Find Out The Amount Of Your Third Coronavirus Stimulus Payment
By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney
President Biden has signed a bill approving a third covid stimulus payment. Most recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income are eligible for the new $1,400 COVID-19 stimulus check. Those who file joint returns are eligible for $2,800. And SSDI and SSI recipients who have dependents are eligible for an extra $1,400 per dependent .
You are eligible for a stimulus check as long as you have a Social Security number and you are not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return .
Social Security Recipients Are Still Waiting
According to the IRS, the third round of economic stimulus, known to the Treasury as EIP3, will be sent to people who didnt file a return but receive Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits , Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income or Veterans Affairs benefits. This is similar to the first and second rounds of Economic Impact Payments, often referred to as EIP1 and EIP2.
The IRS has not confirmed the official payment date. Social Security recipients will get the payment the same way they would normally receive Social Security benefits.
For those who received EIP1 or EIP2 but dont receive a payment via direct deposit, they will generally receive a check or, in some instances, a prepaid debit card . A payment will not be added to an existing EIP card mailed for the first or second round of stimulus payments, the IRS says.
While the payment date for many recipients was March 18, a specific date for Social Security recipients has not been confirmed.
Hunsches advice to those eager to get their checks is to be patient.
Generally, by about the end of the month, everybody should start seeing their payments, or at least be notified of whats going on as to why you didnt get your direct deposit today, he said.
He said youd most likely be notified by a letter in the mail.
Recommended Reading: Change Of Address For Stimulus Check
Targeting $1400 Stimulus Checks
Opponents believed the income caps should have been lower. A group of moderate Republican senators proposed $40,000 as a full-payment cutoff, for example.
That’s because job loss has been concentrated among low-wage workers. In other words: higher earners who get a check tend to have a job and wage income right now, statistics show.
I don’t think there’s a really strong case to target the checks. One argument against is you really can’t do it.Kyle Pomerleauresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Employment for those making less than $27,000 a year was down 29% at the end of February relative to pre-pandemic levels, according to Opportunity Insights, a project run by Harvard University and Brown University economists.
Jobs among the next tier of workers, making up to $60,000, are down more than 6%. Meanwhile, higher earners are at break-even.
Cutting off $1,400 checks at $60,000 of income for single adults would have reduced eligibility by almost 9 million households, to a total 153 million, according to an estimate from Kyle Pomerleau, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
They may, however, spend down that savings when the economy re-opens more fully.
Some opponents didn’t believe stimulus checks were necessary at all, since extra unemployment benefits in the American Rescue Plan already funnel aid to those who lost job income.
Can I Get A Stimulus Payment If Someone Claims Me As An Adult Dependent On Their Tax Return
Some older people may count as a dependent on someone else’s taxes, called a “qualifying relative.” For example, you may live with your children. In terms of stimulus check qualifications, the main tax filer would’ve had to claim you as a dependent on their tax form 1040.
A qualifying relative can be any age. To be counted as a qualifying relative on someone’s tax return, the person must meet four criteria. They…
- Don’t count as a qualifying child dependent.
- Live with the family member all year as a member of the household, or count as a relative who doesn’t have to live with the family member all year .
- Must have a gross income for the year of less than $4,200.
- Must have more than half of their support during the year come from the family member.
If you were a dependent on someone else’s taxes and were over the age of 16, you weren’t qualified for any stimulus money at all in the first or second round of stimulus checks. The new law, however, allows dependents of all ages to be eligible to add up to $1,400 to the household’s total payment.
There are a few reasons why some older adults may not have gotten a first or second stimulus check.
Also Check: If I Filed 2020 Taxes Will I Get Stimulus
How To Claim The Recovery Rebate Credit
If you did not receive your first or second stimulus payment, or if it was for the wrong amount, you’ll need to file a tax return for the 2020 tax year . You’ll file Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR . You’ll need your Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment from the IRS when you file. You should have gotten your first Notice 1444 sometime last spring or summer, and you should have gotten your second one in February 2021. You’ll need the amount of the payment in the letter when you file your tax return in 2021.
If you don’t receive your third stimulus payment, or if it was for the wrong amount, you’ll need to file a tax return for the 2021 tax year . You’ll file Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR . You’ll need your Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment from the IRS when you file. You’ll need the amount of the payment in the letter when you file your tax return in 2021.
You can take the Recovery Rebate Credit for any rebate amount that is more than the economic impact payment that you received by completing line 30 of Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. The instructions for Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR include a worksheet you can use to calculate the amount of the credit you are eligible for.
People Without A Social Security Number

Generally, you must have a Social Security number to get a stimulus check. To get the extra $1,400 for a dependent, the dependent must also have a Social Security number. If they don’t, then you probably won’t get the addition amount.
There are, however, a few exceptions to this rule. First, an adopted child can have an adoption taxpayer identification number instead of a Social Security number. Second, for married members of the U.S. armed forces, only one spouse needs to have a Social Security number. And, third, if your spouse doesn’t have a Social Security number, you can still receive a third stimulus check, including any extra money for dependents, if you have a Social Security number.
Read Also: How To Check For My Second Stimulus Check
If I’m Eligible For A Third Payment How Much Money Will I Get
There are several ways that qualifications change with a third stimulus check. The new law includes a payment of up to $1,400 for all dependents, no matter their age, to be added on to the household’s total. That means if you support an adult dependent — a college student, for example — you may be able to get a larger stimulus payment this round.
The expansion will provide money to households on behalf of an estimated 13.5 million adult dependents, according to the People’s Policy Project.
The new bill also loops in families with “mixed-status” citizenship, where members have different immigration statuses. Both of these groups were left out of the first and second stimulus payments.
One thing to note: The third check is more “targeted.” That means single filers who earn less than $75,000 will be eligible for the full $1,400. But those who earn $80,000 or more per year will not be eligible to receive a third payment at all. There are other ways some households can get more money with the next stimulus payment.
Youre A College Student
One major caveat of the stimulus checks are that anyone categorized as a dependent wont qualify for payment. This will force many college students to be determined as ineligible for a stimulus check.
Who is a dependent? By law, a child under the age of 19 at the end of the year, who lives with you for more than half of the year and has not provided more than half of his or her own support for the year, qualifies as your dependent, so long as he or she doesnt file a joint return for the year. But a full time student under the age of 24 is also your dependent, even if they live mostly at college-if you provide more than half their support and they arent married and filing a joint return.
Some might think that they can get around this no-stimulus-for-dependents over 17 provision by asking their parents not to claim them on their taxes, if they havent already. No dice. As long as a student is a dependent under the legal definition in the law, they still wont qualify for a stimulus check, even if their parents dont actually claim them.
If the student falls out of the legal definition of a dependent, they should consider filing a tax return with the IRS even if they have no taxable income to be eligible for a stimulus check.
You May Like: Can I Still Get The First Stimulus Check
Second Stimulus Check: Who Won’t Be Getting A $600 Check
The second round of federal stimulus checks are now hitting bank accounts following President Donald Trump’s signing of the $900 billion stimulus bill last week. Last-minute passage of the relief legislation will offer a modest lift to the 60% of Americans who have suffered financial woes due to the coronavirus pandemic, yet millions may be disappointed to discover they’re among the groups who don’t qualify for the payment.
The checks will amount to $600 for each qualifying adult and child half the amount of the $1,200 checks sent out earlier this year. The $600 per-person payments are part of the stimulus bill passed by Congress in December and signed by Mr. Trump on the evening of December 27.
Efforts by Mr. Trump and Democratic leaders to boost the so-called Economic Impact Payments to $2,000 per adult have stalled after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in December blocked an attempt to vote on the issue. Wall Street analysts say the push has only a slim chance of moving forward, noting the additional hundreds of billions of dollars the larger payment would cost.
“Children will be eligible for the same benefit amount as eligible adults, and families with members of mixed immigration status with a valid Social Security number for one spouse are also eligible for the payments, unlike with the CARES Act rebates,” noted the Tax Foundation.
Q How Much Will My Third Stimulus Check Be For
A. Your third stimulus check depends on your 2020 or 2019 income .
Qualifying group | |
An AGI of $150,500 or less | An AGI $160,000 or more |
Dependents of all ages: $1,400 | $1,400 apiece, no cap — but only if caretakers make under the above limits |
* This framework by the IRS was designed for taxpayers who are living and working in the U.S., so expats should ensure theyre looking at their AGI and not their gross income when determining their eligibility, especially if theyre claiming the foreign earned income exclusion. |
Additional Payments: If your third stimulus payment is based on their 2019 return and your 2020 return makes you eligible for a larger payment, the IRS will redetermine your eligibility and issue a supplementary payment later this summer.
You can estimate your own payment amount with H& R Blocks Stimulus Check Calculator.
Q. Will I have to pay back my stimulus check?
A. No, you will not have to pay back any amount of your Recovery Rebate Credit, even if you experience a pay hike in 2021.
Q. Will this round of stimulus checks affect my tax return this year?
Q. Will I owe tax on this third stimulus check in 2022 or have to pay it back?
A. No, the third stimulus payment is considered a 2021 tax credit , not income, so you will not need to pay taxes on it or pay it back.
Q. Do I need to sign up for the third stimulus check it or sign off on it?
Q. If I live abroad, when will I get my third stimulus check if I qualify?
Also Check: Update On The Stimulus Check