After Congress finally approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, most of us were left with one question: Am I getting a check? The bill is complicated, so we made it simple using our favorite toys to illustrate who is eligible for full or partial payments.
Tens of millions of Americans woke up Wednesday morning to a $1,400 stimulus payment direct deposited into their bank accounts – but some Americans did not.
Those still waiting for their third stimulus payment might have checked the Internal Revenue Service’s Get My Payment tool and were confused by the results.
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If ‘Payment Status Not Available’ shows in your results, it could mean one of three things, according to the IRS.
- Your Economic Impact Payment has not yet been processed
- The IRS does not have enough information to issue your stimulus payment
- You simply may not be eligible for a payment
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So, how do you resolve the issues stopping you from getting your payment? Here are some tips from the IRS that could help.
Problem #1: My Economic Impact Payment Has Not Been Processed
If your stimulus payment has not yet been processed, be patient.
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The IRS will continue to issue $1,400 stimulus payments throughout 2021. The agency says it will regularly update recipients’ status information on its Get My Payment tool and recommends checking it daily for updates on payment status.
Problem #2: The IRS doesn’t have enough information to issue my stimulus payment
"Payment Status Not Available" could also mean that the IRS "Needs More Information" to issue your stimulus payment.
If “Needs More Information” displays in your results, then your payment was returned because the Postal Service was unable to deliver it. The IRS says this means you were issued a check, rather than your payment being direct deposited into your bank account.
Don’t worry, this is an easy fix.
In order to have your payment reissued as a direct deposit, you can update information for a bank account, prepaid debit card, or an alternative financial product that can be associated with a routing and account number.
If you do not provide updated account information, the IRS will not be able to reissue your payment.
More details on how to update your information are on file here.
Problem #3: You are not eligible for the third stimulus payment
Most Americans are eligible for the third stimulus payment. According to the IRS, the agency will determine eligibility and issue the third payment to Americans who:
- Filed a 2020 tax return.
- Filed a 2019 tax return if the 2020 return has not been submitted or processed yet.
- Did not file a 2020 or 2019 tax return but registered for the first Economic Impact Payment using the special Non-Filers portal last year.
- Are federal benefit recipients as of December 31, 2020
More information on determining eligibility, including income requirements here.
