It must be infuriating if you are one of those few who haven’t received their stimulus check yet. But you can always track it with the IRS tracker and then take appropriate action based on the information you receive from it. More often than not you might just have to be patient and wait it out.
If you are completely in the dark, get the latest status on the Get My Payment tracker that contains some relevant details that are updated every day. It won’t tell you about the figure in your stimulus check though.
The IRS has been sending out stimulus checks every week starting March 17, 2021. From April they have also begun sending out plus-up payments. These checks are based on the recalculation of the account of those who have recently filed their 2020 tax returns.
The IRS is also preparing to send out the next part of the American Rescue Plan signed in March by President Biden. After the stimulus check, here comes the Child Tax Credit. This gave the parents of children a handsome amount of up to $3,600 paid over a year.
Half of the amount will be paid between July and December 2021. The rest will come in as tax credit in 2022.
Information You Can Use To Retrieve Your Stimulus Check
If you want to know the latest status of your stimulus check, the IRS tracker should help you out. But it doesn’t tell you everything. You won’t know the amount coming your way if any. But the information is adequate for you to decide on your next course of action.
You first need to register on the Get My Payment tracker. For that, you would need to enter the Social Security number, your postal address, including your ZIP code, and your date of birth. The tracker will give you some basic info about your stimulus check.
The first thing you will know is the date your stimulus check was scheduled or sent. You also get to know about the mode of payment, a direct deposit, or a check, or a direct deposit card through the US postal service.
Further, you will know the date the payment was sent. The app may also throw up an error message saying it cannot define your status. Here is how to interpret the above message.
For information gleaned so far, it’s obvious that the tracker doesn’t give any updates on plus-up payments coming your way.
Info Missing From The IRS Tracker
One thing that the Get My Payment tracker cannot do is keep you posted hourly. The tracker is updated only once at the end of each day. The second vital info missing is the amount you will receive in your stimulus check.
Any information on the first and second stimulus check is also not present in the tracker.
Do not bother calling up the IRS. The operator at the other end will not have more information than what is already there on the tracker.
Interpreting The Three Main Messages In The IRS Tracker
You will see any one of the following messages on the IRS tracker: Payment Status, Payment Status Not Available, and Need More Information.
Payment Status
This message indicates that your stimulus check has been scheduled. You will receive it on the date shown either through the US postal service or as a direct deposit in your bank. You will receive either a prepaid debit card or a paper check in your mail.
It could also mean that you are eligible, though your payment is yet to be processed. Either way, you will not get the amount being sent in your stimulus check.
Payment Status Not Available
The above message indicates that your payment status cannot be shown for two reasons. Your check has either not been processed to date. Or you are ineligible for a stimulus check based on the information filed with the IRS.
Perhaps you need to immediately file your 200 tax returns to include all the information needed to send you a stimulus check.
Need More Information
This message again gives out two pieces of information. Either your payment has not been issued yet as the IRS doesn’t have the required account information.
It could also mean that your mail was returned as the US postal service could not trace your mailing address.
After you receive this message you can have the payment directly deposited in your bank by sending them the necessary information.
There is no information on the first and second stimulus check. You can get details of these payments by creating an online account.
You can also refer to the mail sent after each stimulus payment. You received your Notice 1444-A after your first payment and Notice 1444-B after your second payment. You can also get it as a debit card or through a financial service account if it has the required account and routing number attached to it.
If you do not receive your stimulus check even after a reasonable time, you will have to file a payment trace with the IRS. The reasonable time is around 5 days for a direct deposit and around 4 weeks for mail through the US postal service.
The USPS Free Tool To Track Your Mail
If your stimulus payment is coming in through the postal service you can use their free tool to track it. Named Informed Delivery, it scans your mail and lets you know the date you will receive it.
Retain The Letter Signed By The President
A letter follows the issuance of a stimulus payment. It should reach you around fifteen days after you get your payment. It is a vital piece of paper and also has info on the amount that has been sent by the IRS.
It also provides you information on how to pursue the issue if you do not receive the check.
You will have to attach this letter to any future claim.
The Tracker Is Of Help To Social Security Beneficiaries And Veterans
People who don’t normally need to file their tax returns can also get their status from the tracker. Many of them are yet to get their stimulus check as their payment started only in the second week of April.
Tracking The First And Second Stimulus Payments
The IRS has stopped sending out automatically the stimulus check that was paid out in 2020.
And if you are owed any amount from those payments, you should immediately file a Recovery Rebate Credit along with your 2020 tax returns before the extended cut-off date on May 17.
You can get details of what you were paid from Notice 1444 (A and B) or through the IRS account.
Updating Banking Information On The IRS Tracker
No direct payments are being sent by the IRS after March 24. Not unless you are a Social Security beneficiary. But getting any additional details will not be possible. Any payment delayed or being resent will only come in through the mail.
You can sign up for a direct deposit account by filing your 2020 returns. That should help you in future transactions only. For instance, the child tax credit is set to being in July.
