5 Reasons Why You May Not Have Received 3rd Stimulus Payment
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Keep checking your bank account for that third round of COVID-19 stimulus.
More than 90 million federal stimulus checks were direct deposited on Wednesday, March 17.
However, that still leaves nearly 70 million Americans, who qualify for a stimulus check, still waiting for their $1,400 per person payment.
For the third time in the past year, the IRS is sending millions of Americans a stimulus check.
The IRS has resolved many of the problem that plagued the first two rounds of stimulus payment but experts say there will still be some issues.
"I think there will be fewer problems but it will also take longer for some of the problems to be resolved," said Bob Probasco, the Tax Director at Texas A&M University Law School. "Any program this big is going to have some error rate and I expect that to occur again."
If you haven't received your stimulus payment yet, here are five possible reasons why:
1. YOU DIDN'T FILE TAXES IN 2019 OR 2020
Without a recent tax return, the IRS will have no record whether you're eligible. For the first stimulus check that went out last year, the IRS set up a way online non-filers could enter their information and bank account number online. So far, the IRS has not provided an online portal this time. You can check the status of your payment by using the "Get My Payment" tool on the IRS website but it does not give users the opportunity to provide the IRS with missing information.
2. YOU DON'T QUALIFY THIS TIME
You may not have received a stimulus check is because you don't qualify anymore. This could be the result of income going up but could also be because of the new phase out rules. While the income threshold for a full stimulus payment ($75,000 per single person) has remained the same, the payment phase out has been reduced. This means any one making more than $80,000 or $160,000 for a married couple will not receive a third stimulus check.
3. YOU ARE GETTING A PAPER CHECK OR DEBIT CARD
Another reason you may not have received your stimulus payment yet is because you are getting a paper check or debit card. While 150,000 paper checks were sent out this week, the IRS is prioritizing direct deposit payments. It will likely take several weeks for all the paper checks and debit card payments to be sent.
4. YOU RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY OR VETERANS BENEFITS
For those who receive Social Security and other federal benefits, the IRS says you should receive the third stimulus check the same way you get your regular benefits. The IRS says you don't have to do anything to get your payment. However, the IRS has not said when those payments will go out.
5. IF YOU MOVED OR CHANGED BANK ACCOUNTS
If you recently moved or changed bank accounts, this could also delay your stimulus check. The IRS may have to wait for your 2020 tax return to get your new information. If the new information is not on your 2020 tax return, you may have to wait until next year to claim for stimulus payment on your 2021 tax return.