Are IRS Stimulus Checks Available? Here’s What You Should Know: NPR

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Muntasir Aumio
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Are IRS Stimulus Checks Available? Here’s What You Should Know: NPR

The IRS informs that Americans have until April 15 to claim refunds for the 2021 tax year, including certain pandemic-related relief payments.

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Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images

Some Americans may still qualify for a pandemic-related stimulus payment, but only for a short time.

This information comes from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), indicating approximately 1.1 million individuals possess an estimated total of $1 billion in unclaimed refunds for the 2021 tax year. These individuals must file their tax returns by April 15 in order to claim these funds.

“According to the law, taxpayers generally have three years to submit their filings and request their tax refunds,” the agency mentioned in a recent notice. “Failure to file within this timeframe results in the forfeiture of funds to the U.S. Treasury.”


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The standard three-year window applies, but there is an additional reason for individuals to be aware this year: the government’s pandemic relief payments.

The IRS has stated that while most people who qualified for stimulus checks — officially termed Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) — during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic have received them, some individuals have not.

This creates a situation for those who did not file taxes for 2021 — which typically would have been completed in early 2022 — to consider doing so now.

Who qualifies?

Three rounds of EIPs amounting to $814 billion were distributed to households affected by the pandemic between March 2020 and March 2021.

Qualified individuals received up to $1,200 per taxpayer and up to $500 per child in March 2020 under the CARES Act, $600 per taxpayer and child in December 2020 through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, and $1,400 per taxpayer and child in March 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The IRS indicates that most taxpayers eligible for EIPs have already been issued either the stimulus payment or a Recovery Rebate Credit. This credit is refundable and assists those eligible taxpayers who did not receive one or more EIPs — or specifically, the full amount of the March 2021 payment — during the pandemic.


The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters building in Washington.

The agency discovered in December that roughly 1 million taxpayers eligible for Recovery Rebate Credits did not claim them on their 2021 tax filings, either leaving the relevant fields blank or recording them as $0.

At that time, they announced that they would rectify this by sending a notification letter along with a payment of up to $1,400 to qualified individuals — delivered via direct deposit or by check to their address on file for 2023 — expected to arrive by late January.

Additionally, there could also be consequences for those who did not file in 2021 (whether due to unemployment or other reasons). Some of these individuals may likewise be eligible for the Recovery Rebate Credit if they file their 2021 return by the April 15 deadline.

“Eligible taxpayers who have not filed must submit a tax return to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit, even if their earnings from a job, business, or other source were minimal or non-existent,” the agency reminded.

Taxpayers can check their EIP amounts through their IRS online accounts (located under the “Tax Records” page) to compute their Recovery Rebate Credit.

The IRS advises to “start now”

In their recent reminder, the IRS encouraged individuals to begin collecting necessary documentation to file their 2021 tax returns “to ensure they have sufficient time to submit before the April deadline,” providing tips to facilitate this. They mention that utilizing or creating an IRS individual online account is the quickest and most straightforward method.

Taxpayers may also request copies of essential documents from their employer or bank, or ask the IRS to mail a tax return or account transcript directly to them. Additionally, they can file Form 4506-T with the IRS to request a wage and income transcript, but caution that these requests can take several weeks to process and should be seen as a last resort.


The IRS processed 11.7 million tax returns in the initial week of the 2025 filing season. Image shows carts filled with documents at an IRS processing facility in Austin, Texas, last September.

The agency emphasizes that individuals’ 2021 refunds may be postponed if they have not yet submitted their tax returns for 2022 and 2023. Additionally, any refund provided for 2021 may be allocated against any owed amounts to the IRS, state tax authorities, or past federal debts such as child support or student loans.

Individuals can track the status of their refund online. The IRS states updates on status should appear approximately 24 hours after submitting a current year return electronically, three to four days after filing a prior year return electronically, and four weeks thereafter for paper returns. For further details, learn more about this process here.

A particularly challenging tax season

Reductions in the IRS’ workforce and budget are anticipated to complicate tax inquiries for taxpayers this coming season, as reported by NPR.

Over 6,000 IRS positions were eliminated in late February as part of efforts by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government, led by the informal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).


Close-up of an exterior wall of the IRS building in Washington, D.C. where black capital letters spell out "Internal Revenue Service."