Didn’t Receive Your Stimulus Check? Here’s What To Do
Were you eligible to receive the first or second stimulus check, but never received it? If yes, trust me when I say you’re not alone. Many Americans are falling into this category. The second stimulus check had until January 15th to get all the funds dispersed. So, if you haven’t received your check by then, these are the steps you need to take.
Step 1
Verify you are an eligible recipient. If you are a US citizen and filed a tax return for 2019, and were not claimed by someone else, you pass the first test. If you made less than $87,000 as a single filer or $174,000 married filing jointly, you are eligible.
Step 2
Verify You Address and Bank information. You need to go back and check your records to make sure your current address still matches the address on your tax return. If you had direct deposit information listed on your tax return, verify your bank information is still current and matches the tax return.
Step 3
Use the Get My Payment tool. On the IRS website, you can use the Get My Payment tool to track when and where you stimulus check is to be received. If you see a bank account that you do not recognize on your account, see step 4 or call us as soon as possible.
Step 4
Verify who you filed with. Many customers of H&R Block and TurboTax have reported that their stimulus checks were dispersed to those respective companies. It was then up to those companies to distribute the appropriate funds. Many Americans found the bank accounts of these two companies listed on the Get My Payment tool.
Step 5
File a 2020 tax return. If you didn’t receive the funds after going through those first few steps, your last option is to file a 2020 tax return with the Recovery Rebate Credit. This credit will be paid out with your refund amount or reduce your amount owed on the 2020 tax return. In addition, it is a fully refundable credit for the amount owed to you from your respective stimulus check.
Additional Notes
If the IRS based your stimulus check payout off a tax return year where you were not eligible, but will be eligible in 2020, you can claim the stimulus on your 2020 tax return. This same situation applies for the first round of the stimulus as well. If the IRS based your stimulus check off your 2018 tax return and you were not eligible then, but became eligible in 2019, you can claim the check in 2020.
There are too many unique situations for everyone to possibly go over them all. So if you have a situation not covered above, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are happy to help everyone we can throughout this pandemic.
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