Where’s my third stimulus check?
Where’s my third stimulus check?

Where’s My Third Stimulus Check?

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A third round of stimulus checks is on the way for millions.

The American Rescue Plan, a new COVID relief bill, was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The bill includes a third round of stimulus payments for millions of Americans. We know these funds are important to you, and we are here to help.

If you are eligible, you could get up to $1,400 in stimulus checks for each taxpayer in your family plus an additional $1,400 per dependent. This means a family with two children could receive $5,600.

The IRS began issuing the first batch of stimulus payments, and they started to arrive as early March as 13-14. Further batches of payments were set to arrive during the following weeks. If you’re eligible, check the status of your stimulus payment and the way it’ll be sent to you by going to the IRS Get My Payment Tool, which went live on March 15th.

Please note that according to the IRS you may receive your stimulus payment in a different format than you received your previous stimulus payments.

IRS Update (March 22, 2021): Today the IRS announced that the next batch of stimulus payments will be issued this week. For those receiving direct deposits, the batch of payments began processing on Friday and will have a pay date of March 24. While many payments are being sent via direct deposit, many of the latest payments were also mailed. The IRS and Treasury urge eligible people who have not received a direct deposit to watch their mail carefully to look out for a check or prepaid card.

To find out if you are eligible and how much you can expect, visit our stimulus calculator.

Who Would be Eligible for the Third Stimulus Check? 

Families earning less than $150,000 a year and individuals earning less than $75,000 a year should get the full $1,400 per person. Families earning up to $160,000 per year and individuals earning up to $80,000 per year will receive prorated stimulus checks for less than $1,400 max.

Unlike the previous two rounds, you will receive stimulus payments for all your dependents, including adult dependents and college students.

You also don’t need a permanent address, a bank account, or even a job to get these payments. Individuals may qualify for this money if they have a Social Security number and are not being supported by someone else who can claim them as a dependent.

How Much is the Third Stimulus Check? 

If you are eligible, you could get up to $1,400 in stimulus payments for each taxpayer in your family plus an additional $1,400 per dependent. That means that a family of four with two children could receive up to $5,600.

Remember, just because you are eligible, does not mean you are eligible for the full $1,400.

To find out if you are eligible and how much you can expect, visit our stimulus calculator.

How Will I Get My Third Stimulus Check?

You don’t need to do anything to get your stimulus check. The IRS will determine eligibility based on your last tax return, either 2019 or 2020, and will likely send your payment to the bank account where your tax refund was deposited. 

As part of the income tax filing, the IRS receives accurate banking information for all TurboTax filers who received a tax refund, which the IRS is able to use to quickly and effectively deposit stimulus payments.

The IRS will also be sending some payments via mail as either a paper check or an EIP Card. If you have not received a direct deposit yet, you should watch the mail carefully for either a paper check or prepaid card.

Please note that according to the IRS you may receive your stimulus payment in a different format than you received your previous stimulus payments.

When will I get my stimulus check?

The IRS has begun distributing stimulus payments. The first batch of stimulus payments arrived as early as March 13-14. Further batches of payments will arrive during the following weeks.

According to the IRS the second batch of stimulus payments was will be issued the week of March 22, with additional payments anticipated on a weekly basis going forward. 

For information on when you can expect your stimulus payment, check the IRS Get My Payment tool, which went live starting March 15th.

For Social Security and other federal beneficiaries who didn’t file a 2020 or 2019 tax return and did not use the Non-Fliers tool last year, a large set of payments began processing the weekend of April 2nd, with the majority of payments sent electronically and received on April 7th. It is possible that some federal benefits recipients may need to file a 2020 tax return even if they don’t usually, to provide information so the IRS can send payments for any qualified dependent.

Stimulus payments were issued to non-filer veterans and beneficiaries who receive Compensation and Pension (C&P) benefit payments on April 14, 2021

Some people who don’t normally file and don’t receive federal benefits may qualify for Economic Impact Payments. Those who are eligible but didn’t get a first or second stimulus check or got less than the full amounts, may be eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, but will need to file a 2020 tax return. You are also encouraged to file a 2020 tax return even if you don’t usually file so the IRS will have the information they need to issue your third stimulus payment. You are also encouraged to file since you may be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit if you earned an income from working even if your income is lower than the IRS income filing requirement($12,400 single, $24,800 married filing jointly). In addition, under the American Rescue Plan the IRS will begin issuing advanced payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit on July 15, 2021, but you need to file your taxes so they have the latest information on file.

Do I need to do anything to get my stimulus check?

You don’t need to do anything to get your stimulus check. The IRS will determine eligibility based on your last tax return (either 2019 or 2020) and will likely send your payment to the bank account where your tax refund was deposited.

Can I change or update my bank information?

Right now, there is no way to change your information for your stimulus check. The payment will be based on the information from your latest tax return and will go to the bank account or address the IRS has on file for you.

Will the stimulus affect my taxes for this year? Or next year?

None of the three stimulus checks (or Recovery Rebate Credits) are considered income, and therefore aren’t taxable. They won’t reduce your refund or increase what you owe when you file your taxes this year, or next. They also won’t affect your eligibility for any federal government assistance or benefits.

What will a stimulus payment look like when it comes in the mail?

Paper checks will arrive by mail in a white envelope from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. For those taxpayers who received their tax refund by mail, this paper check will look similar, but will be labeled as an “Economic Impact Payment” in the memo field.

The EIP Card will also come in a white envelope prominently displaying the seal of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The card has the Visa name on the front and the issuing bank, MetaBank, N.A. on the back. Information included with the card will explain that this is an Economic Impact Payment. The card will come with instructions on how to securely activate and use the card. It is important to note that none of the EIP cards issued for any of the three rounds is reloadable; recipients will receive a separate card and will not be able to reload funds onto an existing card.

If I am experiencing homelessness or do not have a permanent address, how can I get a stimulus check? 

The IRS is working to help those without a permanent address get stimulus checks and tax credits. The IRS can’t issue a payment to eligible Americans when information about them is not available in the IRS system.
If eligible, you don’t need a permanent address, a bank account, or even a job to get a stimulus payment or check . Individuals may qualify for this money if they have a Social Security number and are not being supported by someone else who can claim them as a dependent.

Eligible people who haven’t received these payments should file a 2020 tax return, even if they don’t usually file. Filing a 2020 tax return will give the IRS information needed to send a payment. Those experiencing homelessness may list the address of a friend, relative or trusted service provider, such as a shelter, drop-in day center or transitional housing program, on their tax return.

You may also be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit if you earned an income from working even if your income is lower than the IRS income filing requirement($12,400 single, $24,800 married filing jointly). In addition, under the American Rescue Plan the IRS will begin issuing advanced payments of the 2021 Child Tax Credit on July 15, 2021, but you need to file your taxes so they have the latest information on file.Those who missed either of the first two stimulus payments can still get this money by filing a 2020 tax return and claiming the recovery rebate credit. If you missed the third stimulus payment and were otherwise eligible, you can claim the recovery rebate credit on your tax year 2021 return to recover that money.

Katharina Reekmans

Katharina Reekmans is an Enrolled Agent and a contributor to the TurboTax Blog team. Katharina has years of experience in tax preparation and representation before the IRS. Her passions surround financial literary and tax law interpretation. She has a strong commitment to using all resources and knowledge to best serve the interest of clients. Katharina has worked as a senior tax accountant, operations manager, and controller. Katharina prides herself on unraveling tax laws so that the average person can understand them. More from Katharina Reekmans

32 responses to “Where’s My Third Stimulus Check?”

  1. What about people on disability, social security, or ssi? There seems to be little information about when people are getting stimulus checks.

    • Hi Todd,

      The IRS will use available information to determine eligibility and issue the third payment to eligible people who are federal benefit recipients as of December 31, 2020, who do not usually file a tax return and received Social Security and Railroad Retirement Board benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veteran benefit recipients in 2020. The IRS is working with these agencies to get updated information for 2021 to assist with stimulus payments.

      Hope this helps.
      Best,
      Katharina Reekmans

  2. Filled my 2020 but it’s still be processed how come I didn’t get the 1400 stimulus yet it’s on record I did my 2020

    • Hi Kristin,

      If you’ve already filed your 2020 taxes and the IRS has not yet finished processing your 2020 return, your eligibility will likely be based on your 2019 tax return. While a first batch of stimulus payments started to arrive this weekend, more will be arriving over the coming week with more batches of payments to arrive in following weeks.

      Hope this helps.

      Best,
      Katharina Reekmans

  3. Is everybody getting a stimulus check or no because every time I check the IRS website it’s saying no payment status

    • Hi Amanda,

      Single filers who earned $75,000 or less, and married couples who earned $150,000 or less, may be eligible to receive the full $1,400. Single filers who earned between $75,000 and $80,000, married couples who earned between $150,000 and $160,000, and Head of Household filers between $112,500 and $120,000 may be eligible to receive a reduced payment. Filers with higher incomes than the ranges just mentioned are not eligible for a payment.

      Hope this helps.
      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans

  4. i filed early, like early february and everything was accepted. so it’s been since the 12th of last month and i still do not have my taxes or my stimulus which as far as i know should have both been deposited by now. well should have gotten my taxes almost 2 weeks ago.
    frustrating. trying to be patient

    • Hi Amber, how

      We understand your frustration and know refunds and stimulus checks are important and we confirmed with the IRS that they have accurate final bank account information for all TurboTax customers.

      To get the status of your tax refund, you can use the IRS Where’s My Refund tool for more information.

      If you’re eligible for a stimulus payment, you can check the status of your stimulus payments by going to the IRS Get My Payment Tool.

      Hope this helps.
      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans

  5. I claimed my mother as an adult dependent in 2019 and 2020 for EIC. I did not receive a dependent payment for her and she did not receive ANY OF THEM because I claimed her. I got my third one this morning.

  6. Okay but remember last time when we had fees taken from 2019 refund and the stimulus went to “dummy” accounts? It took weeks to get it sorted out. Is that a possibility again? Or has it been confirmed that it won’t be an issue? Any information would be appreciated. I have not filed my 2020 taxes yet but my bank account hasn’t changed in 10 years.

    • Hi Liz,

      We are doing everything we can to make sure eligible taxpayers get their stimulus checks, regardless of how you chose to get your refund. We have been working closely with the IRS and have confirmed with them that they have accurate banking information for all TurboTax filers.

      Hope this helps.
      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans

  7. If I already filed my taxes and received my refund, how do I receive the additional child tax credit? Will more guidance be given out?

    • Hi JJ,
      If you are referring to the expanded Child Tax Credit under the American Rescue Plan, it is for tax year 2021(the ones you file in 2022) and not tax year 2020. Starting in July, payments for the Credit will be sent in advance so you won’t have to wait to file your 2021 taxes to receive that amount.

      You don’t have to do anything to get these payments. The IRS will likely determine eligibility based on your most recent tax filing.
      I hope this helps.
      Best,
      Lisa Greene-Lewis

    • Hi Randy,
      If your college student was not claimed as a dependent and the IRS accepted and processed the tax return they will issue your college students third stimulus check based on information in the 2020 tax return filed if your college student meets the other eligibility requirements.
      Best,
      Lisa Greene-Lewis

  8. There is still some confusion. If my refund is still saying processing and not approved will the IRS still be able to use my 2020 refund or will they go by the 2019.

  9. Question. If we received our refund for 2020 already and had fees taken out and/or the refund advance will you be giving the IRS our correct banking info this go around?

    • Hi Elizabeth,

      We know stimulus checks are very important to you. We are working closely with the IRS to make sure eligible taxpayers get their stimulus checks, and we’ve confirmed that the IRS has accurate bank account information for all TurboTax customers.

      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans, EA

      • I spoke to the irs this morning and they verified they have my account correct through TurboTax and my refund isn’t even processed yet

  10. My only question is will I have to wait for stimulus check if my 2020 tax return is still processing, or will IRS use 2019 tax return to send stimulus check

    • Hi Eric,

      If you’ve already filed your 2020 taxes and the IRS has not finished processing your 2020 return, your eligibility will likely be based on the information in your 2019 tax return.

      Hope this helps.
      Best Regards,
      Katharina Reekmans

  11. Just wondering this is the first year we paid TurboTax with our return and I’m worried that there will be a glitch again and the irs will deposit the stimulus into the wrong account . Has TurboTax fixed that problem?

    • Hi Teesha,

      We know stimulus checks are important and we are doing everything we can to make sure eligible taxpayers get their stimulus checks. We have been working closely with the IRS and have confirmed with them that they have accurate banking information for all TurboTax filers.

      Hope this helps.
      Best,
      Katharina Reekmans

  12. For which tax filing year is the stimulus payment calculated, 2018, 2019 or 2020? My AGI was $167,000 for 2019 but less than $150,000 for 2020. Will they use 2020’s AGI if I file electronically before they send out the checks?

    • Hi Gary,

      Eligibility will be based on the information in the most recent tax return the IRS has on file for you. If you’ve already filed your 2020 taxes and the IRS has received and processed your 2020 return, your eligibility will likely be based on the information in that return. If you haven’t filed for 2020 yet, it will be based on your 2019 tax return.

      Hope this helps!
      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans

    • Hi Kim,

      The 3rd stimulus relief payment is based on your adjusted gross income (AGI). Single filers with AGIs of $75,000 or less, and married couples with $150,000 or less, may be eligible to receive the full $1,400 or $2,800 respectively.

      I hope this helps.

      Sincerely,
      Katharina Reekmans

  13. What is turbo tax doing to prevent another disaster like last time when the irs sent our payments into a dummy account that turbo tax did not close.

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