Stimulus Checks: 20 Million Americans Still Waiting for Payments

The IRS announced on Friday that it has now distributed 130 million economic impact payments to Americans, leaving 20 million more to go. The agency was tasked with distributing a "stimulus check" to almost every American taxpayer as a part of the coronavirus relief plan, but the process has been slow. Millions of Americans are still waiting for their relief money.

The Internal Revenue Service is working at full steam right now to distribute a stimulus check to almost every American taxpayer, and the end is in sight. The CARES Act guaranteed a payment of up to $1,200 to every American who makes $99,000 per year or less back in March. Months later, some are still waiting for their payments, and the overdue bills are stacking up. Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is already hard at work on the next relief bill.

"We are working hard to continue delivering these payments to Americans who need them," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a press release on Friday. "The vast majority of payments have been delivered in record time, and millions more are on the way every week. We encourage people to visit IRS.gov for the latest information, FAQs and updates on the payments."

The IRS said the total number of eligible Americans is over 150 million, so there are about 20 million more economic impact payments to go out. In total, the agency has distributed over $200 billion already.

Many Americans have been left frustrated by the sparse updates on their payments and the uncertainty about if and when they are coming. In Friday's release, the IRS encouraged people to continue using the Get My Payment tool on its website. It also reiterated that taxpayers who do not file tax returns should use the Non-Filer tool online to make sure they get a stimulus check.

According to the IRS, non-filers can use the website any time to "receive their payment throughout the years." However, Americans who rely on Supplemental Security Income, Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits, or Railroad Retirement benefits have a deadline coming up. Anyone in that category who also has a dependant under the age of 17 must use the Non-Filers tool to let the IRS know by Wednesday, so that they can get the added $500 in their stimulus check. If they do not, they will have to wait until 2021 to try and apply for it.

For updates on your stimulus check, visit the IRS Get My Payment website. For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the World Health Organization.