Stimulus Check Update: Paper Checks Are Being Sent Out Here’s What To Watch For If You Expect One
by Angelica Leicht | Updated July 25, 2021 – First published on March 19, 2021
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Not sure what to watch for with this third stimulus check? Here’s the scoop on how to spot your paper stimulus check or debit card in the mail.
After months of debate and compromise by lawmakers, the direct stimulus payments that were part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act have finally begun to hit bank accounts across the nation. Biden signed the bill into law on March 11, and more than half of the $1,400 direct stimulus payments had been deposited into bank accounts as of the following Wednesday.
The process of issuing stimulus payments to Americans who qualify was much quicker this round than it was with the prior two stimulus payments, in part because the IRS was more prepared for it. The infrastructure for making payments was already in place, which sped the process up from three weeks with the first stimulus payment to just one week with the third.
I Got A Payment Status Not Available Message
Many checking on their second stimulus check were seeing a message that said “Payment Status #2 – Not Available.” The IRS has indicated that these individuals will not receive a stimulus check by direct deposit or mail and they will have to file their 2020 tax return to claim their “Recovery Rebate Credit.” See below for instructions on claiming the rebate on your tax return.
These messages have now disappeared and will be replaced by information about the third payment.
What If You Got An Irs Letter In The Mail But No Payment
About 15 days after the IRS sends your third stimulus check , you should get a letter from the agency confirming your payment. The IRS is still sending these letters for the third payment.
If you received this letter — also called Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment — but you never got your payment, you’ll need to request a payment trace. Make sure you keep the letter because you’ll need the information to file your claim. The same is true for the first and second stimulus checks as well.
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How Can I Track My Payment
Start with the USPS informed delivery platform, but you can also opt to track your payment through other means as well.
If you are expecting to receive your money via check, the IRS’ Get My Payment tool is up and running again with information about the third stimulus payment. This system gives recipients information on whether they qualify for the third stimulus payment, when the payment is scheduled for, and whether your payment is among the direct deposits or the 150,000 paper checks that were sent out on Wednesday.
Using the Get My Payment tool is simple. All you need to input is your Social Security or tax ID, along with your birthday, street address, and zip code.
Your payment status will appear if it has been processed already and has been mailed out to you. If the Get My Payment tool confirms that you’re in line to receive a paper check or debit card, be sure to watch the USPS portal or the mail for your card or check.
What If My Stimulus Check Was Lost Stolen Or Destroyed
If your payment was direct deposited, first check with your bank, payment app, or debit card company to make sure they didnt receive it.
You can request a trace of your stimulus check to determine if your payment was cashed. Only request a payment trace if you received IRS Notice 1444 showing that your first stimulus check was issued or if your IRS account shows your payment amount and you havent received your first stimulus check.
How to start a payment trace: You can mail or fax Form 3911 to the IRS or call 800-829-1954. Click here for specific instructions on how to complete Form 3911 for tracking your first stimulus check.
If the IRS discovers that your check was not cashed, your check will be reversed. You can now claim the payment.
If the IRS discovers that your check was cashed, the Treasury Department will send you a claim package with instructions. Upon review of your claim, the Treasury Department will determine if the check can be reversed. If the check is reversed, you can now claim the payment.
If the check is not reversed, contact the tax preparer who filed your return. If you are unable to reach them, contact your local Low Income Tax Clinic or Taxpayer Advocate Service office for help.
It can take up to 6 weeks to receive a response from the IRS.
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What To Look For If You’re Expecting A Paper Check Or Debit Card
With the first and second round of stimulus payments, there were reported issues with recipients mistaking the debit cards for junk mail. There were concerns about theft if the envelopes were clearly labeled as stimulus payments, so the debit cards recipients received their payment cards in nondescript envelopes this last round.
That issue shouldn’t happen as often this time. Unlike the last two payments, this round of debit cards will be sent out with clearly marked envelopes to avoid those types of issues with lost or discarded payment cards.
And, there’s more good news. If you’re expecting a paper check, you can anticipate that envelope being clearly marked as well. The 150,000 paper checks that were sent out on Wednesday have a pay date of March 19, and they could start to arrive in people’s mailboxes as early as this Friday, so make sure you keep an eye out.
If you expect to get a debit or payment card this round, you’ll want to watch for a clearly marked envelope containing a debit card or check with your stimulus payment. If you want to know beforehand that you’re receiving your payment, you can sign up for the USPS informed delivery system to keep an eye on what is landing in your mailbox each day. This will give you an idea of when your card or check should arrive.
Highlights Of The Third Round Of Economic Impact Payments
In general, most eligible people will get $1,400 for themselves and $1,400 for each of their qualifying dependents claimed on their tax return. Eligible families will get a payment based on all of their qualifying dependents claimed on their return, including older relatives like college students, adults with disabilities, parents, and grandparents. Unlike the first two payments, the third stimulus payment is not restricted to children under 17.
Because these payments are automatic for most eligible people, contacting either financial institutions or the IRS on payment timing will not speed up their arrival.
The amount of an eligible individual’s EIP3 will be based on the taxpayer’s latest processed tax return from either 2020 or 2019. This includes anyone who registered online at IRS.gov using the agency’s Non-Filers tool last year or submitted a special simplified tax return to the IRS. If the IRS has received and processed a taxpayer’s 2020 return, the agency will instead calculate the amount of the individual’s EIP3 based on that return.
The IRS is working directly with the Social Security Administration, the Railroad Retirement Board, and the Veterans Administration to obtain updated 2021 information for recipients to ensure it is sending automatic payments to as many people as possible. More information about when these payments will be made will be provided on IRS.gov as soon as it becomes available.
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My Stimulus Payment Was Too High
Some individuals whose income increased too much in 2019 were not eligible for a full stimulus payment, but they got one anyway since the IRS based the payment on their 2018 taxes. Those individuals will not have to pay back the payment.
In other cases, families were paid an extra $500 or $600 for children who were 17 or older . This could happen if the IRS took the number of children who qualified for the child tax credit in 2018 without updating children’s ages for 2019. But in other cases, it looks like the IRS took the number of dependents from a family’s 2018 tax return, without regard to their age. The IRS has said that those who received such overpayments will not have to pay them back.
If You Have Already Filed Your Taxes
Not as good of news. According to the Internal Revenue Services website, it will mail a letter with information about how and where the stimulus payment was made, which sounds super helpful. But it will be sent to the same address that is on file . Not the most helpful. One possible solution to recovering your check is to log on to the USPS website and request that your mail be forwarded to you from the old address.
If that is unsuccessful, creativity might be the way forward. A less orthodox move but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do you could also try contacting an old neighbor, your former landlord, or the people who now live at your old address. If any of them are able to find your check, they could forward it to you themselves. All the more reason to make friends with your neighbors.
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Child Tax Credit Increased For 2021
For this year only, the child tax credit has increased from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child. Parents of children under age 6 would be eligible for an even larger $3,600 total credit. The plan also includes $3,000 benefits to the parents of 17-year-olds who meet plan qualifications. Previously children had to be 16 or younger.2021 taxes: Latest on unemployment updates to H& R Block and TurboTax
The child tax credit has increased from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child. Parents of children under age 6 would be eligible for an even larger $3,600 total credit.
The plan also includes $3,000 benefits to the parents of 17-year-olds who meet plan qualifications. Previously children had to be 16 or younger. The credit is also fully refundable.
For the standard $2,000 child tax credit, the phase-out starts at $400,000 if filing jointly. According to the relief plan signed earlier this month, the additional credit will phase out for single filers at $75,000 and joint filers at $150,000.
What To Do If You Havent Received Your Stimulus Check
COLUMBIA, S.C. – While many Americans are still waiting on their stimulus check, some experts say it might be time to make sure that money is on its way to you.
In the most recent update, many people who are receiving their stimulus check in the mail are seeing that their check was mailed on March 26. The IRS says if thats you, you should receive your check by April 7th.
Experts say that if you are eligible for the stimulus check and havent received it by mid-April, you might want to follow up by issuing a payment trace.
You can track the status of your stimulus check using the IRSs Get My Payment portal, which will let you know how it the payment will be delivered and provide an estimated arrival date. However, if the payment says it was issued or you received mail from the IRS confirming your stimulus, you can begin the process of requesting a payment trace.
To request the process for a payment trace to begin, you can call the IRS at 800-919-9835 or mail completed Form 3911 to the IRS.
The claim for a missing payment will be processed in one of two ways according to their website noting, If the check was not cashed, we will issue you a new one. If you find the original check after receiving a new payment, you must return the original as soon as possible…If the check was cashed, the Treasury Departments Bureau of the Fiscal Service will send you a claim package that includes a copy of the cashed check. Follow the instructions.
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What To Do If Your Stimulus Check Is Sent To The Wrong Address
While most states have begun the tenuous process of reopening after lockdown, the U.S. economy is on shaky ground. New unemployment claims have surpassed 38 million as those hunkered down at home eagerly await news of whether or not the HEROES Act will pass and provide a second, much-needed stimulus check. However, many of us are still waiting for the first stimulus check, which started arriving in early April.
If you didnt set up direct deposit or it wasnt available to you, the Treasury Department should be sending it to you by check in the mail. But, what happens if it was sent to the wrong address? Crazier things have happened. In the process of moving, it is easy to forget to update your address. Or, perhaps you moved after you filed taxes. Whatever the reason, there are some ways to try and fix it and finally get your stimulus check. Just be warned, it is not the most straightforward process.
As of right now, there isnt an official procedure for recovering lost stimulus payments, reports Forbes. There are some ways to navigate the situation, but they dont have the same guarantees as a recovery plan put forth by the Internal Revenue Service.
Once youve figured out the address on file and the status of your check, the real work begins.
Stimulus Payments For Non
For Non-filers who havent filed a recent tax return, the IRS is working with relevant federal and state agencies to get the latest payment and dependent data. There is also talk of a new non-filer tool the IRS would roll out to allow payment and dependent detail updates for this payment.
This would also allow updates to flow through for the other expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit stimulus payments in the ARP package. Or else the IRS will use payment and dependent details based on previous stimulus payments.
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Will I Be Able To Call The Irs With Issues
You will need to wait for the IRS to finish normal processing of the recovery rebate payments . Until then you will have to rely on the Get My Payment IRS tool to track the status of your payment. And given the IRS will be closing out 2021 tax season and refund processing, I expect will be very challenging to get through to an IRS agent to speak about your missing or delayed payment.
Special Reminder For Those Who Don’t Normally File A Tax Return
People who don’t normally file a tax return and don’t receive federal benefits may qualify for these stimulus payments. This includes those experiencing homelessness and others. If you’re eligible and didn’t get a first or second Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amounts, you may be eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit , but you’ll need to file a 2020 tax return. See the special section on IRS.gov: Claiming the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren’t required to file a tax return.
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Why Did We Get Only Half The Amount
Many couples are finding that they are getting direct deposits for only a portion of what they think their stimulus payment should be. Some have gotten half of their payment deposited one week and half the next, and other couples are finding that their dependents’ share of the stimulus money is split between the two parents.
The IRS has explained that the first payment made might be based on a taxpayer’s 2019 tax return, and the second payment is a “plus-up” payment that is based on the taxpayer’s 2020 tax return.
The IRS has also said that part of the problem may be with “injured spouse” claims on a tax return. of only one spouse, the “injured” spouse can request a refund.) The IRS says that these couples will get their payments as two separate payments.
If you haven’t received the full amount, wait until you get your Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment, from the IRS. That letter should have the correct amount of your stimulus payment. If you don’t receive deposits or checks in that amount, you may have to file a Recovery Rebate Credit . You can also read the IRS’s press release from April 1, which contains a lot of helpful details.
When Will Ssi Get Their Third Stimulus Check
A date has yet to be set for when those receiving Social Security and other federal beneficiaries will get their money. Though the IRS has said those recipients will generally receive the third payment the same way as their regular benefits.
The IRS said if someone did not file a tax return and they receive SSA, RRB, SSI or VA benefits and their benefits are currently deposited to a Direct Express card, then the 2021 Economic Impact Payment will be deposited to that card.
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