The first and second stimulus check amounts were for $1,200 and $600, respectively. The third was for $1,400. Here’s how to get your stimulus checks if you haven’t received them yet.
Firstly, some people haven’t received checks because not everyone qualifies for them. You aren’t eligible if your previous IRS tax filings show that you’re a single person who makes over $75,000 annually, a head of household who makes over $112,500 annually, or a married couple who jointly reports over $150,000 annually.
Some are also ineligible due to restrictions on age and dependent status. If someone claimed you as a dependent in their previous tax returns and you were 17 years old or older on January 1, 2020, then you weren’t eligible for the first two checks, according to CNBC.
The IRS and the Social Security Administration have also said that people may not have received stimulus checks because they didn’t file their 2020 taxes. They urged them to file for 2019 and 2020 even if they’re not legally required, in order to ensure that all eligible people receive their payments.
The IRS withholds payments from non-filers due to possible changes in address, income level, or the number of claimed dependents. The IRS also asks people to file their 2020 taxes in order to assess whether filers are eligible for other tax credits, like the enhanced child tax credit or earned income tax credit.
You could qualify for a “top-off” or “plus-up” stimulus payment if your 2020 tax filing shows that your income dropped or the number of dependents in your family increased since 2019. Last week, the IRS sent out numerous such payments to those who received less stimulus money than they were entitled to.
If you were eligible for the first two payments but didn’t get them or got less than the full amounts, you may be eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit when filing your 2020 tax return. The credit can be entered on line 30 of Forms 1040 or 1040-SR. On that line, you can report the amount of stimulus money you’ve already received or the additional money that you are due.
Some people may not have received their stimulus checks because the IRS has an old address or incorrect bank account information on file. If this is the case, the payment will be returned to the IRS. The IRS will re-issue the check once you submit the correct information.
Eligible people can enter in a new address or bank account information using the “Get My Payment” tool on the IRS website. Changes submitted through that tool can take two or three weeks to process. People can also submit an address change to the IRS using Form 8822. However, it takes the IRS four to six weeks to process that form.
Even if you owe the IRS money, you should still receive your stimulus checks or the aforementioned 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit. The IRS won’t withhold those funds.
However, the IRS can seize money from the first or second checks if they overpaid you. any federal benefits, including federal unemployment benefits. Your stimulus checks can also be seized if you owe state back taxes or child-support payments. Creditors and debt collectors can’t prevent the IRS from sending you stimulus payments, but they are able to seize the funds once the money enters your bank account.
Newsweek contacted the IRS for comment but did not hear back before publication time.