The IRS is sending the third stimulus checks and you can get an update on your payment. This is the first step if you want to track your status.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Millions of third stimulus checks already reached checking accounts and mailboxes – up to 90 million direct deposits as of Wednesday, according to the IRS. And millions more are on the way in the coming weeks. I haven’t received your $ 1,400 check (or how much you are eligible to receive)? You can now check the status of your payment with the IRS Get My Payment tracking tool.
As long as you are a third qualified stimulus verification recipient (calculate your payment here), the online app will show the status of your check and the problems you need to resolve that may be preventing you from receiving your payment. Sometimes it can be difficult to discover the app – we can help explain what its status means.
Even if the IRS is sending a flood of payments, delivery could technically last until December 31, 2021, as stipulated by the new stimulus project. The agency is preparing to send more payments by mail as it paper checks and EIP debit cards coming soon. But we can still see problems related to payments. And if they do, the tracking tool will be the IRS ‘primary way of communicating your payment schedule and status with you. The tool will no longer show the status of your first two stimulus payments, Yet. Here is everything you need to know. This story was recently updated.
IRS Get My Payment: The tracker app is live now
In addition to the first payments that arrive in bank accounts and through the postal service, the IRS has activated its tracking tool, called Get My Payment, so that individuals and families can know the status of their check. The IRS said it will update payment status information once a day, usually overnight, and notes that IRS phone assistants will have no information beyond what is available on the tracker.
To obtain the status of the third check, enter your Social Security number, date of birth, address and zip code. The tool will then display a message with information about your check – if the payment was sent, the form of payment (direct deposit or physical mail) and the date of issue. The tool will not show the amount of your payment. However, it will let you know if the service is still unable to determine its status – more information about error messages below.
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Stimulus check 3: how much money you will receive
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Will the Get My Payment tool still allow me to sign up for direct deposit?
Now this the IRS is sending the third stimulus check, you’ll probably get it faster if you have one direct deposit account already settled with the federal government. Some are reporting that the IRS used the bank information they provided on their taxes this year for the new stimulus payment.
With the first verification, the online tool allowed you to enter your bank information to receive your payment straight to your bank account, if the IRS does not have your bank information. The IRS did not allow people to register new direct deposit accounts or change their bank information for the second stimulus check. And the updated Get My Payment tool for the third stimulus payment does not allow you to add your bank information as the method that the IRS will initially use to make your payment.
However, the IRS Frequently Asked Questions for Getting My Payment states that you can provide bank information if the IRS is unable to deliver your payment. After your payment is returned to the IRS, you can add your bank information to the tool, the IRS said.
With your third check out now, you can still have time to receive your direct deposit payment if you add your bank information to your 2020 taxes. If you want to try, you need to act fast. You may register for a new direct deposit account (in fact, up to three) as part of filing your 2020 income tax return. If the IRS receives your bank information before processing your third payment, it can use that information to send your money. However, The Washington Post reports delays with the IRS in processing returns. By the way, the The IRS officially extended the 2020 tax filing deadline to May 17.
Why is my status ‘Need more information’?
According to the IRS 2021 Payment FAQ, a “I need more information” message in the Get my payment tool means that your payment was returned because the U.S. postal service was unable to deliver it.
The FAQ says that you can have your payment reissued as a direct deposit, providing a routing and account number for a bank account, a prepaid debit card (the card must be rechargeable, the IRS said) or a financial service that has a routing and account number associated with it. The updated FAQ said that you can also update your mailing address to receive your payment.
The IRS and the US Treasury are sending out the third round of stimulus payments.
Sarah Tew / CNET
What about ‘Payment status not available’?
Do not be alarmed if the Get my payment tool displays the message “Payment status not available”. You can see this message until your payment is processed, according to the IRS. So, you don’t have to do anything.
However, it can also mean that you are not eligible for a payment, according to the IRS, so you may want to double check your eligibility and connect your numbers our stimulus verification calculator to see if you are due.
Get My Payment says the IRS sent me a third stimulus check, but I never received anything
If the IRS online tool says that the agency has issued your stimulus money, but you have no record of it in the mail or in your bank account and it never arrived in your mailbox, you may need to file a stimulus check payment tracking. It is useful if you also have the letter that the IRS may have sent you.
If your money is tied up in any way, the IRS Get My Payment tracking tool will indicate a problem.
Sarah Tew / CNET
Should I keep the letter from the IRS confirming my third stimulus payment? What if I threw it away?
If the IRS issues a stimulus check, it will send a notice by mail to your last known address within 15 days of making the payment, to confirm delivery. The letter contains information about when and how the payment was made and how to report it to the IRS if you have not received your check. The letter is useful if you do not receive your full payment and need to claim your money later. see how retrieve the information if you lost or played the card.
How can I track the status of my stimulus check by mail?
If your third stimulus check is mailed, the US Postal Service has a free application that can notify you when you are about to deliver the IRS stimulus money. Called informed delivery, the mail tracking service automatically scans your letters and can alert you when they will be delivered. Here’s more about how to set up and use the USPS letter tracking service to control your payment.
What if I have never yet received all my money from the first or second stimulus payment?
The IRS is no longer automatically sending the first and second payments. If you believe that you still owe money from any of these rounds, your best chance of claiming a missing first or second payment is to request the Recovery discount credit as part of 2020 tax season. If you are eligible, you will need to know the amount of money the IRS has allocated for you, which you can find out online or in the letter the agency sent. The IRS has reported that the updated Get My Payment tracker will not provide information about the first and second checks. Instead, you need to set up and verify your IRS account for information about these two payments.
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