Stimulus Checks Historical Archive

Transferred from another page for reference purposes:

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Comments here (beginning April 2020 and now into 2024) have caused me to realize that this page is getting a lot of visitors due to the various stimulus payment situations. This page remains here to help people with that. Excepting for the child credits, the stimulus payment era has come and gone. But then again, what with delta and now omicron (and now some more new ones), who knows? Am leaving the following stimulus payment data intact for the time being. As for the listed government links and news links, sooner or later the destination sites will consider their respective pages obsolete and will probably remove them.

[Update] The only site I know of at the moment that can help people is: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. The site has been a mess in the past, but they seem to have gotten themselves straightened out. An update to the update: the site now has info and a link for claiming missing payments. And they have other info and links.

[Update] There are also stimulus check scams all over the place, including even being sent fake checks. "4 tips for avoiding a Coronavirus stimulus payment scam" can be found at: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/04/coronavirus-stimulus-payment-scams-what-you-need-know. They have additional .gov links there worth checking.

[Updates] The mess continues...

• People are accidentally throwing out their stimulus check, reason being because it looks like junk mail. The latest round of stimulus checks were issued in the form of prepaid debit cards in a plain white envelope that does not bear any federal markings. Source: NBC News
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• Americans are cutting up and throwing away their stimulus debit cards, mistakenly thinking it's a scam. Source: Business Insider

[Update]

• Well, the "era" of the first stimulus check is drawing to a close. However, I'm leaving the above info intact for the time-being. It's all pretty much applicable to the second stimulus payment as well.

[The Second Stimulus Payment]

• Until the IRS and FTC say otherwise, the above federal links are still valid. If/When new problems develop, relevant links will be posted.
• Meanwhile: Second stimulus checks are coming, but there are 10 things that could hold yours up (source CNET). The article is a must-read.

Both the IRS site and the CNET article have additional resource links.

What with the January 15th deadline for sending out payments, plus all the other problems I'm seeing in the comments section; this looks like it will indeed be another epic fail. However, all is not lost. The 2020 tax form is being modified to include the ability to file a claim for the stimulus payment; it can be used for both the first and second payments; a real pain in the neck for those who otherwise would not have to file, but a heck of a lot better than no option at all. As a side note, the IRS is pleading for people to not call them; the IRS has stated they are unable to provide over-the-phone information or assistance at this time. It should also be noted that Congress is responsible for imposing the short January 15th deadline, not the IRS; as a result, the mistakes and omissions are only just beginning.

[Update]

Yep, news reports are now confirming.

• Error puts millions of U.S. stimulus payments in wrong accounts - Source: Reuters

[The Third Stimulus Payment]

• In addition to the usual USPS payments being sent out, retirees who don't file taxes have also been receiving payments via the social security direct deposit route. Folks who have their stimulus payment(s) tangled up with their tax returns should start receiving their payments in May. If the number of recent comments are any indication, problems seem to be decreasing.

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