The federal government has sent out a reported 80 million coronavirus stimulus checks by direct deposit to eligible recipients. If you weren’t included in the first wave of payments, then you will get one in the next few weeks, according to a memo from the House Ways and Means Committee.
The IRS will make additional rounds of payment via direct deposit and paper checks each week. The first round went to people the IRS already had direct deposit information on file for, from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns. The next round, according to the memo, will be sent to those who recently provided the IRS with their direct deposit information.
If you haven’t updated your direct deposit information and typically file taxes, the agency says to do so via its Get My Payment tool up until the tool indicates your payment has been processed. If you don’t normally file a tax return, you can use the agency’s non-filers tool to update your information. Direct deposit is the quickest way to get your payment: Those who provide it by Thursday of one week reportedly will be paid the following week, per the memo.
If you haven’t filed your 2019 taxes and are expecting a refund, you can also do that now and provide the IRS with your direct deposit information that way.
The first round of paper checks is also expected to be mailed this week. They will be sent to the lowest-income Americans first, at a rate of five million per week. The IRS estimates it could take up to 20 weeks to mail all of the paper checks, and the Washington Post reviewed an internal IRS memo saying the last round would be mailed in September. If you moved since you last filed your taxes and can’t provide direct deposit information, you can change your address here.
Those who receive Social Security retirement, survivor, and disability insurance benefits and did not file a tax return in the last two years will start receiving their payments by direct deposit at the end of April. All Supplemental Security Income recipients will get their payment by early May, according to the memo.
The IRS has experienced system glitches
The IRS is still directing stimulus check recipients to track the status of their check via Get My Payment. The tool is updated once per day.
Get My Payment has frustrated many users who say they have been unable to track their status since it launched last week. But if you receive a message that says your status information is unavailable, that does not mean you will not receive a check. If you filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and are eligible for a payment, you will get one, an IRS spokesman said. The agency’s FAQ details what each payment status means.
Millions of people who filed their taxes with companies such as H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt and TurboTax and got a tax refund advance could see their payments sent to bank accounts that do not belong to them, according to a report from the Washington Post. That will delay when they actually receive their stimulus deposit.
The checks are worth up to $1,200 for eligible individuals, $2,400 for couples and $500 for each dependent child under 17. Some lawmakers are now considering whether a second round of stimulus payments could be sent out.
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