Stimulus Checks: If You Haven't Received Yours, There's Still Good News

It has now been two months since the American Rescue Plan was signed into law, and for those Americans still waiting on their third stimulus check, you aren't out of luck. After the first payments began being sent out almost immediately after the bill's passage, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is continuing to send out additional batches of checks, meaning that yours could well be on the way.

According to CNET, this week alone saw the IRS sending out 960,000 stimulus checks, for more than $1.8 billion, bringing the total number of stimulus payments sent out to 165 million. The agency will continue sending out new batches of payments weekly until all eligible Americans have received their payment. Under the March stimulus law, the IRS has until Dec, 21 of this year to send out all of the third checks, meaning there is the possibility you could be waiting a little while longer to get that coveted payment. For those who are eligible for the payment but fail to receive it, you will need to claim the missing payment via a 2021 tax return in April 2022.

For those curious about the status of their stimulus payment, the IRS created the online "Get My Payment" tool shortly after the first stimulus package was approved back in early 2020. Available on the IRS website, the tool requires users to enter some personal information, such as Social Security number, date of birth, and mailing address, to then gain access to status updates on your payment. Additionally, those expecting to receive their payment in the mail can make use of US Postal Service's tracking system, Informed Delivery. The free tracking service scans letters and alerts users with an image each time a letter with their name on it is delivered, meaning you will know as soon as your stimulus payment is set to be delivered.

In addition to the weekly batches of stimulus payments, the IRS will also continue sending out "plus up" payments. These payments are essentially make-up payments for those who did not receive the full amount they were eligible to receive. For instance, these "could include a situation where a person's income dropped in 2020 compared to 2019, or a person had a new child or dependent on their 2020 tax return, and other situations," the IRS explains. This week, the IRS mailed out 460,000 of these plus-up stimulus payments, for more than $800 million.

Both the stimulus payments and the "plus up" payments are part of the American Rescue plan, which was approved in March as President Joe Biden's first stimulus package. Along with the payments, the bill also called for $300 extra in weekly unemployment benefits and an expanded child tax credit running into 2022.