Where’s My Stimulus Check IRS Gov Payments

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IRS seems to provide an online portal called ‘Get My Payment’ tool that allows you to track your stimulus check. This is an updated version of the popular tool that Americans used to track the status of their first and second-round stimulus checks.

Unfortunately, you can no longer check your payment status of your first and second-round stimulus checks with the updated tool. Then, what should you do if you need to track the status of your stimulus checks? Let’s find out the information to track your stimulus check below!

How to Track Your Stimulus Checks?

Since the updated ‘Get My Payment’ can not be used anymore to check the status of your first and second round stimulus checks, instead, you can track the status of your stimulus check by creating an online IRS  account or refer to IRS Notices 1444 and 1444-B that will be mailed by IRS after first and second-round stimulus checks were issued.

You may be able to obtain what you are owed by claiming the Recovery Rebate credit on your 2020 tax return if you did not obtain an earlier payment or you received less than the full amount. You may also be able to file a return just to claim the credit even if you are required to file.

For more information, third-round stimulus payments are not used to calculate the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, but they will still be used to count the credit amount on your 2021 tax return.

Talking about the updated ‘Get My Payment’ tool, it is more-or-less working the same way as the portal used for first-and second-round stimulus checks. Well, that’s a refresher course on what the tool does, what information the tool gives you and what information you need to provide.

How Does the Stimulus Check Tool Work?

The updated stimulus check tool called ‘Get My Payment’ actually works to check the status of your stimulus payment, to confirm your payment type (direct deposit or paper check) and also to obtain a projected direct deposit or paper check delivery date or to find out if a payment has not been scheduled.

For first-round stimulus payments, you may be able to use the portal to enter or change your bank account information to ensure your payment is directly deposited into your account. However, this feature is not included in the current tool.

In this case, the IRS Already has bank account information for millions of Americans from recent tax returns, the original ‘Get My Payment’ tool, tax payments, the non-filers tool used last year, other federal agencies that regularly send out benefit payments (Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board) and federal records of recent payments to or from the government.

The tax agency is commonly limiting direct deposit payments to bank accounts that they already have on file. As a result, you will be able to change your bank information using the ‘Get My Payment’ tool. Make sure to not call the IRS, the person on the phone cannot change your bank information, either.

You definitely will get either a paper check or a debit card in the mail if your payment is not deposited directly into your bank account. You can also receive a payment by mail  if your bank rejected a direct deposit. It can occur due to the bank information being incorrect or the bank account on file with the IRS has since been closed.

If a third-stimulus payment is mailed to you, but the Post Office cannot deliver it and returns it to the IRS, you can use the ‘Get My Payment’ tool to send the IRS your bank account information to ensure your payment is reissued as a direct deposit.

Afterwards, the portal will say ‘Need More Information’ about two to three weeks once the original payment was issued. At this point, you will be able to enter a routing and account number for your bank account, alternative financial product or prepaid debit card that has a routing and account number associated with it. If you do not provide account information, your payment is reissued by mail and the IRS receives an updated address.

What Information Will You Need to Access a Stimulus Check Tool?

When you want to access the tool, you will be required to provide a:

    • Date of birth
    • Street address
    • Five-digit ZIP or postal code
    • Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax ID Number (ITIN)

If you file a joint tax return, either spouse can access the portal by providing their own information for the security question used to verify the identity of the taxpayer. After it is verified, the same payment status is displayed for both spouses.

However, married couples who file a joint tax return probably obtain their third stimulus payment as two separate payments and half may come as a direct deposit and the other half of it will be sent to the address on the IRS file. If so, each spouse needs to check the ‘Get My Payment’ tool separately using their own Social Security number to view the status of their payments.

You will be locked out of the portal for 24 hours (expect a ‘Please Try Again Later’ message), if you submit information which does not match the IRS’s records three times within a 24- hour period.

You will also be locked out if you have already accessed the system five times within a 24-hour period. To manage system capacity, the IRS is limiting each user’s daily access. You do not contact the IRS if you are shut out. Instead, you just wait 24 hours and try again,

What Can You Find in Get My Payment Tool?

For third-round stimulus checks, the ‘Get My Payment’ tool will give you one of the following information:

    1. Payment Status: A payment has been issued if you get this message. The status page will display a payment method, a payment date and account information if paid by direct deposit.
    2. Need More Information: If your 2020 return was processed, but the IRS does not have bank account information for you if the message is displayed.
    3. Payment Status Not Available: This status means either the IRS has not processed your payment yet, you’re not eligible for a payment or the IRS does not have enough information to issue you a payment.

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