Millions will get their stimulus check through prepaid debit card. Here’s what to know

Summer Lin
·2 min read

Millions of Americans will receive their $600 stimulus check through prepaid debit card, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.

Eight million stimulus payments were sent out beginning last week by prepaid debit card, the IRS said in a news release. Millions of stimulus checks have also been distributed through direct deposit and paper checks.

The IRS’ “Get My Payment” tool shows the date that your stimulus check was mailed. Prepaid debit cards will arrive in a white envelope with the U.S. Department of the Treasury seal, and the agency is urging people to watch their mail so they don’t throw out their payments by mistake.

People who got their payments by paper check for their first round of stimulus payments may get a prepaid debit card this time, according to the IRS. The debit cards can be used to make purchases in stores or online anywhere Visa Debit Cards are accepted.

Stimulus checks started arriving through direct deposit on Dec. 29, and paper checks were mailed out beginning Dec. 30, the IRS said. 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 it when they file their taxes this year.

Payments will be 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 making up to $75,000 a year but is less generous than 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 dependent child. 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.