Currently, the tax filing season is upon us, so naturally, a large sector of the population has been looking for answers regarding their stimulus check payments. As it has been well-documented, the federal government did issue a bunch of economic impact payments or stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021, that would provide financial relief to eligible citizens in the country during the early round of the pandemic.
One of the most frequently asked questions was the possibility of claiming a stimulus payment on their taxes. The simple answer was that it was indeed possible- but one would have to file their tax returns for 2020 and 2021- if they didn’t readily file them in the first place.
How To Claim Your Missing Stimulus Check Payment
In 2020, the federal government instituted the Recovery Rebate Credit that did form a major part of the stimulus check payments distributed during the coronavirus pandemic. The first and second rounds of the payments were issued in 2020 and the early part of 2021.
The third branch of checks was issued between the March and December of 2021. As it turns out, the IRS stopped the distribution of stimulus payments on the 26th of January, 2022. But the taxpayers could still be deemed eligible to claim their Recovery Rebate Credit if they didn’t receive the first payment.
The IRS also stated that it was important for the individuals who were eligible for a stimulus check payment to understand that the payments applied to different tax years. So the missing first and second payments could only be claimed on a tax return in 2020- while the third payment would be claimed by a federal tax return in 2021.
