In the dark about your stimulus payment? You can find out more through the IRS website tracker.
IRS
Getting worried that you haven’t received your third stimulus check yet? It could be your bank account has a pending deposit or it may be stuck en route in the mail. While you work out those details, you may find that you got a “plus-up” supplemental payment if the IRS owed you more stimulus money than you received initially.
If there’s information you need to act on, the IRS online tracking tool will tell you. It’ll also show if you need to file a payment trace for that missing third check. The tool isn’t perfect, but it’s a useful start. It won’t tell you how much money to expect — not everyone gets $1,400 — but you can use our stimulus calculator to estimate that amount.
Starting next month, the IRS will begin disbursing advance child tax credit checks for up to $300 a month for those eligible — you can use this separate calculator for that. Here’s how to claim up to thousands in child care expenses and what we know about a possible fourth stimulus payment. We have updated this story.
How to use the online IRS Get My Payment tracking tool
To get an update on your third stimulus check using Get My Payment, enter your Social Security number, date of birth, street address and ZIP or postal code. The tool will display a message with information about your payment. You can see things like whether your money was sent or is scheduled to be sent, the payment method (direct deposit, paper check or EIP card) and the date your stimulus money was issued. The tool may also say it can’t yet determine your status — see more below about error messages.
What the online Get My Payment tool won’t tell you
The IRS tool won’t give you hourly updates — the status information is updated once daily (usually overnight) — nor will it tell you how much stimulus money you’re getting or provide details on the first two stimulus checks approved in 2020. You won’t find steps for what to do if you run into payment problems.
The IRS doesn’t want you to call if you have payment trouble. The agency says its representatives don’t have information beyond what’s shown in the tool. Here’s what we recommend doing to address a stimulus issue.
Another way to find out more info on your third payment is to create an IRS account online. If you are sent a plus-up payment after your 2020 tax return is processed, you should see the amount of your plus-up payment with your online account. (The Get My Payment tool won’t tell you the amount of your plus-up payment, but it might tell you its status.)
Watch this:
Stimulus plus-up payments: What you need to know
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What the ‘Payment Status Not Available’ message means
Don’t be alarmed if the Get My Payment tool gives you a message that says “Payment Status Not Available.” You may see this message until your payment is processed, according to the IRS. So you may not have to do anything.
But it could also mean you’re not eligible for a payment. In that case, you may want to double-check your eligibility and plug your numbers in our stimulus check calculator to see whether you’re due money.
What the ‘Need More Information’ message means
According to the IRS FAQ, a Need More Information message in the Get My Payment tool means your payment was returned because the US Postal Service wasn’t able to deliver it.
The FAQ says you’ll be able to have your payment reissued as a direct deposit by providing a bank routing and account number, a prepaid debit card (the card must be reloadable) or a financial service account that has a routing and account number associated with it. The FAQ says you can also update your mailing address to receive your payment.
What to do if the IRS tool says your payment was sent out
If the IRS’ online tool says the agency has issued your stimulus money, but you have no record of it in your bank account and it never arrived in your mailbox, you may need to take one of these steps, including possibly filing a stimulus check payment trace. You’ll need to have the letter the IRS sent you.
You can use USPS to track your paper check
If your third stimulus check is going out in the mail, the US Postal Service has a free app that can notify you when it’s about to deliver your stimulus money from the IRS. Informed Delivery is a mail-tracking service that automatically scans your letters and alerts you to when they’ll be delivered. Here’s more on how to set up and use the letter-tracking service from the USPS to keep tabs on your payment.
Keep the IRS notice that confirms your stimulus payment
If the IRS issues you a stimulus check, it sends a notice by mail to your last known address within 15 days after making the payment to confirm delivery. The letter contains information on when and how the payment was made and how to report it to the IRS if you didn’t receive all the money you’re entitled to. You’ll need to reference this information if you don’t receive your full payment and need to claim your money later. Here’s how to recover the information if you lost or tossed the letter.
What to do if the first two stimulus payments never arrived
The IRS is no longer automatically sending out the first and second payments that were approved in 2020. If you believe you’re still owed money from either of those payment rounds, your best chance of claiming those funds is to file for the Recovery Rebate Credit as part of the 2020 tax season.
If you’re eligible, you’ll need to know the amount of money the IRS allotted you, which you can find out online or from the letter the agency mailed. The IRS said the updated Get My Payment tracker won’t give you information on the first and second checks. Instead, you need to set up and check your IRS account for information on those payments.
What to know about adding direct deposit banking details
You can’t use the Get My Payment tool to sign up for a new account or correct details about your payment. Even if the IRS is unable to deliver your payment to a bank account and the money is returned to the government, you won’t be able to correct the details online — the IRS says it will send the money again by mail.
The extended IRS deadline was May 17. With the agency’s delay in processing tax returns, trying to register for a new direct deposit account with your 2020 tax return won’t get you into the system quickly enough. However, if you haven’t submitted your taxes yet, signing up for a new direct deposit account could still get you iRS money faster in the future, such as tax refunds or the upcoming child tax credit.
What veterans and SSI, SSDI beneficiaries should know
The IRS tracking tool Get My Payment is designed to tell you the status of your third stimulus check. People who receive Social Security benefits like SSDI and SSI and veterans who don’t file taxes can also see their payment status in the tracker tool. Tens of millions of Social Security recipients and veterans should have already received their $1,400 payment.
For more stimulus check details, here’s everything to know about the third check. And here’s what we know so far about whether a fourth stimulus check could happen.