IRS sending $1,400 stimulus checks: When your money could arrive in the bank or by mail

If the IRS has your direct deposit banking information, it’s possible you’ve already received your third stimulus check. The IRS started sending out the first wave of payments on March 12. However, if you’re waiting for your payment to arrive in the mail as a paper check or EIP card, your $1,400 check may very well go out later this week.

If the new stimulus checks are sent out soon through the postal service, they’ll be part of the rush of payments the IRS plans to send by the end of the month, with the goal of 100 million more checks in the next 10 days, President Joe Biden said on Monday. “Shots in arms and money in pockets,” Biden said. If you want to know the status of your check, use the IRS stimulus check tracker tool — it’s officially live and can give you the details on where your payment is, but it can be tricky and the information it provides is sometimes confusing. It also can’t tell you the exact date your check will arrive in the mail or how much you will receive — our stimulus check calculator can help with that information and give you a quick idea of how much you could expect.

This first batch of money that’s making its way to bank accounts is aimed directly at qualified recipients who already have direct deposit accounts on file with the IRS, and it will take weeks or months to finish processing every payment. Meanwhile, the IRS is already knee-deep in this year’s tax season, adding an extra burden on the agency. With tax returns due April 15, the IRS will have to process new payments using either 2019 or 2020 taxes (here’s why it matters). Your payment group and personal circumstances are also important in determining if you’ll get paid first or last. This story was recently updated.

When will I actually get my third stimulus check?

Starting last Friday, the IRS and the US Treasury began making electronic transfers to bank accounts. Those who are now seeing direct deposit payments in their bank account as pending or provisional may need to wait until the official payment date of March 17 to access the money.

But some on the r/stimuluscheck Reddit forum are reporting they’ve received word from their banks that checks could start to go out May 19 and that the IRS could start showing payment status as soon as this week on its Get My Payment tracker for a mailed physical check or EIP card. It could still take days or weeks for a payment to be processed and scheduled before it actually appears on your doorstep. Any additional complications could also delay your payment. If you moved recently, tell the IRS and USPS.

Can I track my payment status online now?

Yes. The IRS turned on Get My Payment, its online tracking tool for stimulus checks, on Sunday. This tool shows you the status of your payment, such as when a check is scheduled for delivery. The portal can also flag if there’s a problem with your payment that you may need to address.

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Stimulus check 3: How much money you’ll get

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How will my payment group affect my delivery date?

The IRS identifies three payment groups based on how your money is sent:

• Direct-deposit recipients: Typically got their stimulus money in the first wave. But both times there were issues involving deposits going to temporary accounts that were rejected by banks. In some cases, these people got paper checks or EIP cards instead, or had to wait for the issue to resolve.
• Paper checks: This is the payment type the IRS sent out second. A physical check can take weeks to arrive by mail, but the check can be deposited or cashed right away once it arrives.
• EIP cards: This payment type arrives as a prepaid debit card you must activate online to use. The IRS issued EIP cards last, delaying the payment’s arrival for this recipient group by weeks.

Remember, it takes time for the IRS to process the well over 100 million payments expected in this third round of checks. Even tiny errors could cause a delay in you receiving your full or partial payment. (Here’s more information for SSDI and SSI recipients, and other nonfilers.)

What to know about changing priority groups

Just because you got your payment by direct deposit the first two times doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get it that way again. A lot depends on delivery going smoothly, and on any processing issues the IRS or Treasury could encounter with your case.

The IRS told CNET in January that some people who received their first stimulus payment as a physical check or EIP card may have been paid by the other method the second time around. And, anecdotally, we learned of people who received direct deposit payments the first time finally getting an EIP card in the mail — and not an electronic bank transfer — weeks after the IRS tool said the payment was issued. 

The other payment groups we’ve loosely defined include Social Security beneficiaries who received payments a different way the first time if they’re part of the SSI or SSDI programs, and people with more complex scenarios that could lead to potential issues or holdups receiving their money. People in different child support situations are one example we’ve seen, as are people who are incarcerated and people with complex citizenship scenarios.

When is the IRS deadline to finish sending new stimulus checks?

Although the IRS and Treasury are acting fast to send stimulus checks, the agencies have until Dec. 31 to complete sending out the third payments. That’s good news in the sense that they aren’t facing a compressed deadline to send out all the checks. On the other hand, it also means some people may find themselves waiting, for a variety of reasons. There’s still so much we don’t know about how the IRS will deal with any fringe issues that arise. 

Will the IRS use my 2019 or 2020 tax return to calculate my payment amount?

Taxes are due April 15, and although the IRS has been lobbied to extend the tax due date, that doesn’t appear likely this year. So how will the IRS figure out how much it owes you? It will calculate your total (you can also do that here) based on the most recent tax filing it’s processed by the time it’s ready to tabulate your check.

If you filed your 2020 taxes early and you know your tax return was already processed, your total would likely be on 2020’s adjusted gross income, not 2020’s, as intended. That presents complications if the difference between the two years disqualifies you from getting a third stimulus check. (Learn more about some of the stimulus check exceptions and catches here.)

If I get a partial check, when can I claim the rest?

There are several reasons the IRS could owe you stimulus money for the third round of checks. Maybe the agency processed your 2019 tax return instead of 2020 and there was a discrepancy. Or you had a baby in 2020 you still need to claim as a dependent. Or a clerical error accidentally left out a new dependent. Maybe your payment never arrived or was accidentally garnished. 

Whatever the reason, the IRS may provide a way to file for missing stimulus money before the Dec. 31 deadline. If not, you might have to wait a year to claim it, until you file your 2021 taxes in 2022 (even if you’re a nonfiler who isn’t typically required to file taxes).

What other stimulus check details do I need to know right now?

Stimulus checks aren’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all situation. Here are additional guides for:

Here’s everything you need to know about the third stimulus check, how to calculate your stimulus total and every other way the stimulus bill can bring you more money.

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