What does ‘Status Not Available’ mean on stimulus tracking site? Here’s what IRS says
Taxpayers who checked on the status of their $600 stimulus check with the Internal Service Revenue’s tracking tool and saw “Payment Status #2 - Not Available” will have to claim it on their 2020 tax returns to receive the money.
The “Get My Payment” tool, which went online Monday, allows users to check the statuses on both their first round and second round of stimulus checks and find out if they’ll be distributed by direct deposit or mail.
The IRS said in a news release Monday that people who see “Payment Status #2 - Not Available” won’t automatically get their stimulus checks and will need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax returns for 2020.
If you see a direct deposit date and account information on the tracking tool, that’s when and where your payment was deposited, the IRS said. The tracking tool may also show the date your check was mailed out and it could take up to three to four weeks for you to receive your stimulus payment, according to the release.
The IRS announced last week that stimulus checks started arriving through direct deposit on Dec. 29 and paper checks were mailed out beginning Dec. 30, according to a news release. Most people will get their payments through direct deposit. Anyone who was eligible to get stimulus checks but didn’t receive one will be able to claim them when they file their taxes in 2021.
Payments are automatic for eligible taxpayers who filed a tax return or people who get certain benefits, including Social Security retirement beneficiaries. They’re also automatic for anyone who submitted a simplified tax return or registered using the IRS’ Non-Filers tool by Nov. 21, 2020, according to the agency.
The $900 billion coronavirus package includes $600 direct payments for millions of Americans but is less generous than what was provided in the $2 trillion CARES Act, which provided $1,200 payments for individuals who met that same income threshold.
Under the new legislation, individuals making up to $75,000 a year will receive $600, married couples making up to $150,000 will get $1,200, plus $600 per child dependent. The package also expands relief checks to include households with mixed immigration status, meaning some immigrant families will be able to receive payments in this round.
Some people who filed their 2019 tax returns with TurboTax and H&R Block are reporting that their payments were sent to the wrong bank accounts, McClatchy News reported Monday.
H&R Block said that stimulus checks may have been deposited in some customers’ refund accounts, resulting in a delay for people receiving payments. The company said the payments were forwarded using the same method customers chose to receive their tax refunds and that it should arrive “by end-of-day.”
