After months of failed negotiations, Congress was able to come together on a pared-down stimulus package at the end of 2020. Under that package, eligible Americans are entitled to a one-time $600 check. But, what should you do if you haven’t received your check just yet? There are certain steps that you can take in order to make sure that you receive your payment.
According to NJ.com, the federal government must distribute these economic impact payments by Friday, Jan. 15. At the moment, there are millions of Americans waiting to receive their second stimulus payments. If you haven’t received yours by Jan. 15, there are steps that you can take to check on the status of your payment. First, you can check out the Get My Payment tool from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That tool will be able to tell you if your payment was sent and when and will also be able to determine whether you will receive those funds via direct deposit or by mail.
Videos by PopCulture.com
If you notice that your payment was sent to a bank account that you do not recognize, you could still track it down. NJ.com noted that there were millions of Americans who used tax prep firms to complete their 2019 tax returns. As a result, you can contact those companies to see whether they have a record of a payment after the IRS reported that there was an error that caused some of those companies to send payments back to the IRS. The IRS is reportedly working with those companies in order to amend this issue. Several taxpayers have already received their payments after addressing this error.
When it comes to the second stimulus payment, if you’re not expecting to receive it via direct deposit, you might be receiving it in a different form than your first economic impact payment. Those who received a check for the first round of stimulus checks could very well receive a debit card this time around and vice versa. If you are receiving your payment via the mail, you should give it some time for it to get to you. Over the past year, there have been numerous concerns surrounding the United States Postal Service as there have been major delays in mail service.
Additionally, if it’s after Jan. 15 and you haven’t received your second stimulus payment, you can contact MetaBank. The company issues debit cards and can see whether there is a record of a payment in your name. Now, if February rolls around and you haven’t received your payment, you may have to turn to a different method in order to obtain your funds. In that case, you can receive your payment by claiming a credit called the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return. You would subsequently get your payment in the form of a tax refund.
