With the tax season officially underway, many Americans are still asking, “Where’s my $ 600 stimulus check?”
The stimulus payments were authorized by Congress under a $ 900 billion Covid aid package approved in December. Within days, the federal government began distributing the money.
This included payments of $ 600 per individual, or $ 1,200 per couple filed together, plus $ 600 per child under 17.
Like the first $ 1,200 stimulus checks that the government sent to millions of Americans last spring, payments are based on income.
More from Personal Finance:
As Washington debates $ 1,400 checks, whoever qualifies can change
Child tax credit proposal can give families more help than stimulus
8 million losing unemployment benefits
Individuals with an adjusted gross income of up to $ 75,000, heads of households up to $ 112,500 and couples who enter together with up to $ 150,000 are eligible for full payments.
To date, more than 147 million of second stimulus checks, totaling more than $ 142 billion, have been sent, the IRS said on Tuesday.
In January, people reported problems with the tax agency’s Get My Payment online tool. To get a sense of how widespread the problem was, CNBC.com asked readers if they were having trouble receiving their payments.
Hundreds of readers responded.
Some wanted to know why they received the first direct deposit of $ 1,200 or paper check without problems, but were still waiting for the second. Others who receive social security or other federal benefits wonder why they are still waiting. Some wanted to know why the IRS information showed that the check was mailed, but there was still no sign of it weeks later.
The IRS said on Tuesday that it issued all “legally permitted” payments for first and second stimulus checks.
If you are one of the people who are still waiting for your $ 600 check, there are several steps you can take.
Reassess if you are qualified for money
Although the $ 600 payments are similar to the first $ 1,200 stimulus checks, there are some differences that can affect whether you receive a payment and how much you can receive.
$ 600 checks are eliminated at the same rate as first payments – checks are reduced by 5% of the amount your adjusted gross revenue exceeds the limits for full payments.
But since it is a smaller amount, the $ 600 payouts have lower limits than the $ 1,200 payouts. Therefore, individuals with $ 87,000 of adjusted gross income, heads of households with $ 124,500 and couples with $ 174,000 will generally not receive a payment.
This time, payments are based on the 2019 tax returns, while the first checks used 2018 or 2019. So if your first $ 1,200 check was based on your 2018 tax return and your income has changed substantially since then, that can affect the value.
Other things to note: Eligibility may be affected if you are declared dependent on someone else’s return, if you do not have a valid Social Security number, or if you are a non-resident alien. People in these situations are not eligible for payments.
On the other hand, those who have unpaid debts are still eligible.
“Unlike other tax refunds, the IRS is not allowed to grace or collect these payments to pay off other tax debts, so that’s really not an issue,” said Joe Bishop-Henchman, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Use the IRS tools to learn more about your payment
There is no better time to think about next year’s taxes than right after you filed this year.
Jayme Thornton | Tooga Productions | Getty Images
When it comes to getting answers to your questions, consult an official source.
When we conducted a consultation to resolve where people were experiencing problems, some people responded with their full names, addresses and social security numbers.
Do not send this information to anyone until you are sure that they can check the status of your payment. This usually means only the IRS.
Watch out for scammers who will try to impersonate the government tax agency to obtain your personal financial information.
The IRS has created ways for people to verify their payments.
This includes an online tool called Get My Payment. However, the IRS now states on its website that this tool will no longer be updated for the first or second stimulus check.
If the Get My Payment website shows a direct deposit date and some of your bank account information, your money must be there. If you do not recognize the account number, it does not necessarily mean that the funds have gone to the wrong place, according to the IRS. That way, you don’t have to file an identity theft statement to alert the IRS of suspicious activity.
If, instead, the Get My Payment website shows a mailing date for your check, the IRS reports that it may take three to four weeks for it to arrive. Watch for a check or debit card, which will come in an envelope with the United States Treasury seal.
If, after that, you still have questions about the location of your payment, there is something else you can do: request payment tracking.
A certain amount of time must have passed before you can start a scan. For direct deposits, it is five days from the date it was deposited, as long as the bank has no record of receipt of payment.
For the second $ 600 stimulus check, starting February 24, if the check was sent to a standard address. If you have a forwarding address registered with the Post Office, wait until March 10. Individuals and family members with addresses abroad must provide it by March 31.
Payment tracking should not be used to find out if you are eligible or to check how much money you can receive.
For help with specific questions about economic impact payments, the IRS has created a phone number for live assistance. However, the agency says aid is “extremely limited at this point”. A separate phone number is available for people who have questions about stimulus debit card payments.
File for recovery refund credit with your tax return
If your efforts still do not pay, you can apply for a recovery credit when submitting your taxes this spring.
“According to the IRS, they made all payments, so if you didn’t receive it in the mail, you probably have to follow the tax return form,” said Bishop-Henchman.
Those who are eligible for recovery discount credit include people who have not received stimulus checks or direct payments for less than they should.
If you have already received any money, the credit you receive will be reduced by that amount.
Individuals and families who do not normally declare their taxes, often because their income is very low, will have to do so this year to obtain credit.
A spreadsheet is available with Forms 1040 and 1040-SR (a tax return form for the elderly) to help you determine whether or not you qualify for the money.
In addition, free filing tools through the IRS and certain tax preparation websites can help individuals and families submit their information to receive credit without having to pay.