The IRS sent the initial stimulus check to different groups first.
Angela Lang/CNET
With just a few weeks for Congress to negotiate the contents of a new economic rescue package this year, signs appear slightly brighter: On Thursday, House and Senate legislators began to look at funding for the 2021 budget, which could potentially include more stimulus aid.
If Congress can’t pass new legislation that incorporates a second stimulus payment during the lame-duck session, President-elect Joe Biden’s stimulus plan might more seriously enter the conversation after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
The IRS issues stimulus payments by direct deposit, paper checks and EIP debit cards (in that order, over a couple of months) once directed by the Treasury secretary. But there may be a complication if new stimulus legislation isn’t passed before Biden takes office: Delays could be caused as a newly appointed Treasury secretary gets up to speed. Try CNET’s stimulus calculator for a payment estimate.
More than 150 million Americans may qualify to receive a second stimulus check, but unfortunately some adults won’t be eligible at all if there’s a new round. And if the IRS owes you a partial or full payment from the first round in the spring, you have unfortunately missed the deadline to file a claim this year, but here’s how to claim it when you file your 2020 taxes in 2021 (and how to track payments).
Keep reading to learn some potential timelines for a second stimulus payment. We recently updated this story with new information.
Read more: Want your second stimulus check faster? Do these things now
When will I receive my next stimulus check?
These speculative dates show you when you might see a check — if a bill becomes law before or after Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, and bearing in mind Dec. 11, the deadline for Congress to pass the next federal budget.
Read more: Nobody can take your stimulus check away, right? Not quite
One important note about the speed at which the first checks might arrive. In August, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it would take about a week to process the first payments. “I can get out 50 million payments really quickly. A lot of it into people’s direct accounts,” he said.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean your stimulus money would arrive a week after a bill went live.
Possible dates a second stimulus check could go out
| Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 | Scenario 3 | Scenario 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House passes final bill | Dec 11 | Feb 1 | Mar 1 | Apr 5 |
| Senate passes final bill | Dec 12 | Feb 2 | Mar 2 | Apr 6 |
| President signs | Dec 13 | Feb 3 | Mar 3 | Apr 7 |
| First direct deposits issued | Week of Dec 28 | Week of Feb 8 | Week of Mar 8 | Week of Apr 12 |
| First paper checks sent | Week of Jan 11 | Week of Feb 16 (Feb 15 is President’s Day) | Week of Mar 15 | Week of Apr 19 |
| First EIP cards sent | Week of Feb 8 | Week of Mar 15 | Week of Apr 12 | Week of May 10 |
Can the IRS issue all the stimulus payments at once?
No. To date, the IRS has sent money to at least 160 million people in three ways, starting with people the federal government has direct deposit information for. Some people with more complicated personal situations are still waiting for their checks or even for catch-up payments. This creates a de facto priority order that could result in some Americans receiving their checks days or even weeks before others.
Read more: Estimate the size of your check with our stimulus calculator
The IRS has said it can deliver 5 million to 7 million paper stimulus checks a week, starting with people whose adjusted gross income, or AGI is less than $20,000, and then moving to people whose AGIs are progressively larger, according to the Government Accountability Office.
We expect the IRS will adopt roughly the same system for sending out a second stimulus check in 2020 or 2021 as it did with the first stimulus check, which was approved in March as part of the CARES Act.
Watch this:
Next stimulus checks: What to expect
3:03
Direct deposit recipients: People who already have their direct deposit information on file with the IRS or who provide that info when and if registration opens again should be first in line to receive a stimulus check. An electronic transfer of funds is faster and more efficient, which is why this group largely got their first payment faster.
Social Security beneficiaries: With the first stimulus payment, many Social Security beneficiaries who had direct deposit information on file with the federal government received checks in the first week, though not always the first day.
People who get paper checks: The IRS began to mail checks about a week later to those without direct deposit data on file.
EIP card recipients: Economic impact payment debit cards are prepaid Visa cards the IRS sent to about 4 million people starting in mid-May. If the IRS follows the same payment priority order, this group could begin to see their payment weeks after the first direct deposit transfers take place.
People with more complex situations: This category includes people who received a check after June, are still waiting to receive their stimulus payment or who didn’t know they need to complete an extra step. Direct payments will continue through the end of 2020 for some individuals who weren’t part of the previous groups. Here’s what could be holding up the stimulus check delivery for some people and how to contact the IRS to report a missing, lost or stolen check.
Why hasn’t everyone received their first stimulus payment?
While over 160 million Americans have received their stimulus checks, the IRS is still trying to track down millions of people who may be owed money, including for dependents.
If you think this situation applies to you, the IRS had set a deadline of Nov. 21 to claim your payment this year. This includes people who didn’t receive $500 allotted for their dependents, some people who are involved in child support situations and nonfilers who may be owed a stimulus check (including older adults and people who receive SSI or SSDI). If you missed the deadline, you will need to claim a catch-up payment or error adjustment as part of your 2020 federal tax return.
There’s hope that the IRS could speed up delivery of a second check, if it’s authorized.
Angela Lang/CNET
If you’re a US citizen abroad or live in a US territory and didn’t receive a check as expected, you may also need to investigate. And a new ruling in California may bring hope for people who are incarcerated and didn’t receive the first stimulus check — or who received it and were compelled to return the money.
If you’re still waiting on the first round of payments, you can track the status of your stimulus check, learn how to report your no-show check to the IRS and find possible reasons why your stimulus check still hasn’t arrived. The IRS has said it will continue to send payments through Dec. 10, according to the Government Accountability Office.