No stimulus check yet? How to find out the day your payment arrives in the mail

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There are tools to help tell you when the IRS plans to send your stimulus money.


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If you’re still wrestling with the IRS’ Get My Payment tracker app to find the status of your stimulus check, the post office may be able to help you out. That’s right, the USPS has a tool that will notify you when your post office is ready to deliver your check in the mail. The service is free and will even send you a picture of the letter from the IRS, so you know what to look out for and when it’s coming (hint: it’s a plain paper envelope).

Called Informed Delivery, the service lets you keep tabs on the letter’s progress through notifications on your phone or computer. 

There are a few things to keep in mind. Informed Delivery will show you all your documents scanned by the post office, which of course includes your money from the government. It also can’t tell you why you don’t have a stimulus payment yet, or what to do if your stimulus check never arrives. And it doesn’t replace the IRS portal for tracking your payment, which we like for its ability to give you a ballpark estimate of when your check might be on its way. You can cancel at any time.

Read on to learn how to use the USPS tool to see your stimulus check in the mail and brush up on the latest about the second stimulus check that’s been proposed.

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Is your stimulus check in there? You could already know before you ever take a look.


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How to see your own personal mailbag 

It can take three business days to activate your account after you set it up. Once it’s live, you will receive an email each morning Monday through Saturday if mail is scheduled to arrive, notifying you of mail that will be delivered, along with a grayscale image of the front of the letter. You can also use the free Android and iPhone Informed Delivery app to be notified.

Am I definitely getting my stimulus check in the mail?

At this point, you’re more likely to receive your money in the mail than in your bank account. That’s because the IRS deadline to provide your direct deposit information passed on May 13. 

The federal revenue agency said its focus is now on sending payments in the mail through the post office — either as a paper check or as a prepaid debit card called the economic impact payment, or EIP, card. Read on to track your payment envelope in the mail.


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Stimulus Checks Helpline



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Informed Delivery: Quickly check that you’re eligible

When the USPS runs mail through its automated mail sorting equipment, it creates a digital image of the front of all letter-size mail, and that includes your stimulus check. The Informed Delivery program uses this digitally captured information to notify you when each piece of mail is on the way. 

The service is available to many residential and personal P.O. box addresses but not businesses. It also won’t work for some multiunit buildings where the Postal Service hasn’t yet identified each unit.

Here’s how to check whether it’s available in your area:

1. Head to the Postal Service’s Informed Delivery page and tap the Sign Up for Free button.

2. Enter your mailing address, and tap Continue

If the service is available, you can continue to set up an account.

Set up the Informed Delivery service

Setting up your account is straightforward. 

1. On the Postal Service’s Informed Delivery page, tap Sign Up for Free.

2. After you enter your mailing address and confirm it’ll work with the service, you’ll need to accept the terms and conditions and tap Continue

3. On the next page, choose your username, password and security questions. Then, enter your contact information and tap Continue.

4. On the next page, you’ll need to verify your identity. Tap Verify identity online if you want to receive a verification code on your phone or tap Request invitation code by mail if you want the Postal Service to mail a code to you. If neither method works for you, may also be given the option to visit a post office to verify your identity in person.


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Where’s my stimulus check?



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For more on ordering and receiving packages during the coronavirus pandemic, here’s how to find household goods when Amazon and other online stores are out of stock, how to order beer and wine online, and how long the virus can survive on packages.

source: cnet.com