Your third stimulus check should have come in by now, and if it hasn’t, maybe it is time to track it. The IRS has its tool, Get My Payment, to get details of your payment and that should be your first reference point to get your stimulus payment.
The IRS has sent out close to 166 million payments across the country and even abroad to individuals and families. The total amount has come to around $388 billion. Given the huge numbers, many are bound to miss their payment for several reasons. But before we contact the IRS for missing payment, we need to check our bank or the postal service for any stimulus check due for arrival.
Check Before You Initiate A Search For Your Stimulus Check
It takes anything between 5 days and 6 weeks for a payment to arrive, depending on the mode of payment. If it has been sent through a direct deposit, it should take around 5 days for your account to get credited.
So check your bank for any pending deposits, the stage before an account is finally credited, before initiating any action. The same goes for a paper check or a prepaid debit card that comes in through the US postal service. It takes anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks for a snail mail to finally reach you.
Given the sheer amount of payments being sent through the postal service, the delay is justified. The USPS has its free tool to keep track of their mail. It should give you regular updates if any payment has been sent through them.
Taking Help Of The IRS Tracker
As mentioned, the IRS tracker is your first port of call for getting your stimulus check. The IRS has let out at the start that contacting them for the third stimulus check will not solve matters this time around.
You will get the status of your Economic Impact Payment with the help of the Get My Payment tool. To gain access, you must first answer several security questions.
The IRS tracker does not give you the amount of your stimulus check. Instead, it shows the day your stimulus check was sent, and the mode of payment. You will know the amount sent only on an online account or in the letter sent by the IRS a couple of weeks after the payment, the Notice 1444-C.
Making Sense Of The Messages On The IRS Tracker
The tracker only displays some stock messages and you need to interpret them as each message can mean several things.
Payment Status
The above message means two things. Either your payment has been processed, with the date it has been processed and the mode of payment, or though you are eligible for the payment, no steps have yet been initiated.
Payment Status Not Available
This message could mean that either your payment has not been processed, or you are not entitled to a stimulus check. And if you feel that you deserve a check, you could do a fresh calculation with the various stimulus calculators available online.
Need More Information
This third possible message on your tracker could mean that your stimulus check was sent but then returned as the postal service could not trace your address.
Your payment could be reissued through a direct deposit only if you have received this message. You can provide an account number and a routing number of either a bank account, a prepaid debit card that has to be reloadable, and other financial products that have the routing and account number.
Your payment will be withheld unless you provide these bits of information or update your postal address. If you have previously received your payment through your bank but the mode changed to the postal service, it indicates that there is something wrong with your bank account.
Filing A Payment Trace
If the tracker says that your payment has been sent out and you cannot trace it either through your bank or the postal service, it is time to file a payment trace with the IRS.
You can only request a trace if it is 5 days since a direct deposit to a bank, 4 weeks since the payment was mailed to a standard address, 6 weeks since it was mailed to a forward address, and 9 miles after it was mailed to an offshore address.
The IRS website says that you can file a request for a payment trace for your stimulus check by calling up the number 800-919-9835. You can either use the automatic system or opt for speaking with an agent.
The other option is to fax or mail Form 3911 ( Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund).
you have to remember these important points before filing your Form 3911. Write ‘EIP3’ at the top of the form. It means ‘Economic Impact Payment 3’.
Answer all the relevant refund questions linked to your stimulus check. In Section 1, Item 7, check ‘Individual’ as the ‘Type Of Return’. The tax period should be entered as 2021. The Date Filed point should be left blank.
It is important to note that if you are filing jointly, both you and your spouse should sign the form.
It normally takes 6 weeks for a response, though it may be delayed under the circumstances. If you have already called up for a trace, you should not send Form 3911. The mailing address is there on the IRS site and depends on your place of residence.
Tracking Your Paper Check Through The US Postal Service
If your stimulus check has been sent through the postal service, you can use their free tool to track your payment. The free app notifies you when it will deliver your EIC. Called ‘Informed Delivery’, this tool automatically scans the letters and notifies you of the delivery date.
Retaining Notice 1444-C Signed By President Biden
A letter signed by President Biden is sent around 15 days after the IRS sends your stimulus check. Notice 1444-C is the official record of your payment and contains the amount sent and the details of the amount.
The Plus-Up Stimulus Check
The IRS had sent out the initial stimulus checks based on the information they had then. So many payments were based on the 2019 tax returns. Many non-filers also could not update relevant information that would have given them more than they received.
With further updates in information, the IRS began sending out follow-up stimulus checks, or plus-up payments.
For instance, filing a 2020 tax return could entitle you to a bigger check if your adjusted gross income has gone down. This has been the reality for millions of Americans due to the pandemic.
The birth of a child and the addition of a dependent could mean a bigger stimulus check.
Using The Recovery Rebate Credit
If you miss out on any part of the third Economic Impact Payment, you have until next year to claim your payment. File a Recovery Rebate Credit along with your 2021 tax returns next year to claim your amount.
