Stimulus checks: IRS 'Get My Payment' tool updated as Americans receive third round
Americans can now check the status of their third stimulus check using the Internal Revenue Service’s online tracking tool ‘Get My Payment.’
The tool allows Americans to follow the scheduled payment date for either a direct deposit or mailed payment. It’s an online app that works on desktops, phones, or tablets and doesn’t need to be downloaded from an app store.
Around 158.5 million households are expected to receive a payment under the new stimulus deal, according to the White House. This round of stimulus checks is $1,400 per eligible individual plus a $1,400 bonus per dependent.
The current round of stimulus payments, part of a new $1.9 trillion stimulus deal, began distribution at the end of last week through direct deposit. The IRS has yet to announce the schedule for mailing payments.
The third round of payments will be sent out based on information the IRS already has on file and recipients can’t add new banking information or change their mailing address. If you don’t get the payment but you’re eligible to receive one, you can claim it on your 2021 tax return.
In order to use the tool to track your payment, you need to provide basic information:
Social Security number or Individual Tax ID Number (ITIN)
Date of birth
Mailing address
The tracking tool will no longer show the status of the first or second round of stimulus checks — the $1,200 payment under the CARES Act and the $600 payments under the December $900 billion stimulus deal. To find the status of those previous rounds, you must create an account.
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If your payment is delivered by direct deposit, the tool will show when the direct deposit is expected to be made or when it was delivered along with the bank account it went into.
If you receive the message “Payment Status Not Available,” the IRS may not have processed your payment yet or you may not be eligible for a payment.
Getting a "Need More Information" status means that your payment was returned to the IRS because the post office was unable to deliver it. You then can have the payment reissued as a direct deposit after providing a bank account routing number and account number.
If you fail to verify your identity using the tool, you may get a “Please Try Again Later” message, which locks you out of the tool for 24 hours for security reasons. The IRS has previously said there’s no need to contact the agency if this happens. Instead, try using the tool the next day.
You also may be unable to use the tool if you:
Didn’t file a tax return,
Didn’t use the ‘Non-Filers’ tool by November 21, 2020, to provide banking information,
Or receive federal benefits and the IRS doesn’t have enough information for you on file.
Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova
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