Top Reasons Your Economic Stimulus Check Has Not Arrived

by Miles Jackson

Over 170 million Americans are due an economic stimulus check from the government, but many have not yet received one. Like many, you may be wondering why your check hasn’t arrived.

Reasons Your Stimulus Check Has Not Arrived

Congress updated its timeline on when eligible recipients will receive their money. That has created some confusion about when and how these payments will clear.

There’s some good news, and some bad.

The Good News

The IRS is using direct deposit information from taxpayers. On April 15th the IRS began sending out stimulus checks – via direct deposit. More than 80 million payments went out that week. The government estimates the eventual total number of payments may be as high as 180 million.

The checks are slated to be $1,200 for individuals, $2,400 for couples and $500 for dependent children under 17. Those totals come with some exceptions.

The second wave of coronavirus stimulus payments will start hitting bank accounts this week. We do know that many people receiving direct social security payments will likely see those payments coming close to the dates of their normal government payments. For many, the good news it that means they should see a payment in the first week of May.

The Bad News

Unfortunately, retirees, veterans and pensioners expecting paper checks may have to wait up to 20 weeks for their checks. That’s because the first wave of stimulus payments were sent to people who had already provided their direct deposit information to the Internal Revenue Service with their 2018 or 2019 tax returns. Previously receiving a paper check for any IRS payment rather than direct deposit is a key reason some individuals have not yet received payment.

The next round of funding will go out on a weekly basis to people who provided their information to the IRS and have not been paid according to a new timeline from the House Ways and Means Committee.

“Individuals who enter their direct deposit information into the portals by Thursday of a week reportedly will be paid the following week. Also, taxpayers expecting a tax refund for 2019 can provide their direct deposit information to the IRS by filing a 2019 federal income tax return if they have not already done so in lieu of using the Get My Payment portal.”

“At the end of April, adult Social Security retirement, survivor, and disability insurance beneficiaries who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019 will receive their rebates if they receive their Social Security benefits via direct deposit. (Nearly 99 percent of beneficiaries use direct deposit.) Treasury has announced that adult SSI recipients will receive their rebate by early May at the latest, in the same way as they receive their normal benefits. Weekly direct deposits and paper checks will continue until all individuals receive their rebates.”

IRS Online Portal Has Glitches

There are also glitches with the online portal the IRS set up. The online tool won’t allow taxpayers to complete the form under certain conditions. Users cannot process the information if they neither owed any money to the IRS nor received a refund for 2018 or 2019. Entering a zero doesn’t work in that field. There is no way of entering direct deposit information as it requires checking either “I received a refund” or “I owed money”.  Apparently the IRS is aware of this issue and promises to correct the problem.

2019 IRS Tax Return Stimulus Check

Filing a Tax Return Can Speed Up Your Stimulus Payment

What If You Haven’t Filed a Tax Return?

There are more than 100 million Americans who haven’t recently filed returns — including retirees, pensioners and veterans. These people may have to wait up to five months to see a paper check based on the latest IRS estimates.

According to a memo from Congress, the IRS began mailing physical paper checks this past week to people who only have a mailing address on file without direct deposit payment information. These Americans will see paper checks arriving in the mail at a rate estimated at 5 million a week, the capacity of the IRS’s check printing capabilities. Unfortunately, this means many Americans who most likely need the money may have to wait the longest.

Based on these estimates, as checks trickle in through the mail, starting with those with the lowest incomes could take “up to 20 weeks” to complete. This means some taxpayers will not see their stimulus checks before September.

ADVICE: There’s Still Time to Provide Your Bank Information

The IRS established an online portal where people who did not file tax returns in either 2018 or 2019 can submit bank account information to get their stimulus money faster.

People who provide their payment information to the IRS using that online portal can expect to receive their stimulus check sooner. In fact, most should receive a stimulus check as soon as the following week. That’s according to the committee memo.

What If Your Payment is Lower Than Expected

For some filers, their 2019 adjusted gross income (AGI) may be lower than their 2018 income. It is possible that some taxpayers got a lower payment based on a higher income in 2018. If that’s the case, the IRS has a solution.

When you file your tax return for 2020 by next April, your rebate will be recalculated. At that time, you should be refunded any additional money owed to you. That’s because these stimulus payments are actually advance tax rebates.

The Upshot

The effort by the US Government to help citizens and taxpayers is a massive undertaking. Those who filed taxes in the past two years and provided their bank information have probably received their checks.

More than 100 million potential recipients are asking why their stimulus check hasn’t arrived yet. For these, some could be waiting until September.

If you need to provide your direct deposit information, you should use the online portal to get payment as quick as the following week.

Have you received your payment yet?
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24 comments

Crystal jones April 27, 2020 - 2:57 pm

Well I haven’t got my stimulus yet or a date and I been have my info to the IRS on April 20 /2020 my 2019 is still processing and will till the economy opens back up because I had to file a amended return right before the shut down I’ve been trying to get a answer on since my 2019 tax return is still processing will I still get a stimulus because I haven’t yet and it’s very frustrating because I left this question on a lot of pages and no one has answered it yet and I know slot of people still haven’t got their taxes yet either I filed jan27th and my amended March 19th

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Miles Jackson April 27, 2020 - 5:02 pm

Crystal-
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. As highlighted in the article many others are also waiting on their checks. You can use the link provided in the article to check on your status or update your payment information.
Of course, there have been many issues. I’m confident most people will receive their payments–it may take some time.
Hoping your payment comes swiftly.
Thanks for sharing and reading.

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Beverly Daugherty April 27, 2020 - 7:47 pm

I’m on SSDI an my sister received her check but me an my mother still having gotten ours. Should it be there this week or wat is going on with this?

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Miles Jackson April 27, 2020 - 7:59 pm

Beverly-
First off, I am not a professional tax preparer and I do not work for the government.
Any information I provide is based on what’s been made available by the Treasury Department.
I believe that your payment should arrive around the date of your normal direct deposit of your SSDI.
However, parents on SSDI and other forms of Social Security who have kids under 17 have missed the deadline this year. You can still file next year and get the check then.
You should also check on the latest FAQ’s found here.
Best wishes to your family in these unsettling times.
Thank you for reading.

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Desire Golding April 28, 2020 - 11:57 am

I still have not recieved my stimulus and we provided bank information the day the get my payment tool released and i have seen no deadline to update no payment date just the same damn message since the 16th. You are elegible for a payment when we have a deposit date we will update this page. I feel as though its just all a big joke.

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Miles Jackson April 28, 2020 - 9:33 pm

Desire-
Sorry to hear of your difficulties.
I know the site is constantly getting updates so my suggestion is to continue checking.
Also check Shelli’s article on some hacks that may help.

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Kerri April 28, 2020 - 1:10 pm

My fiancé has not filed the past two years I did put his information in and he’s never had [a PIN] number and keeps asking and when we called [IRS] or a number related to they have his correct address and name etc but I did put it thru portal do you have any suggestions please

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Miles Jackson April 28, 2020 - 9:30 pm

Kerri-
I am not sure if you mean you entered your fiancé’s information as an individual, though I guess that’s what you mean. There have been some changes to the website, so you might try again. Also, check out our Stimulus Payments Site Updates here

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Anthony L Falco April 28, 2020 - 5:14 pm

I pay taxes and don’t get a refund I’ve give my bank info weeks ago no check plus I receive social security I don’t owe the IRS any money when should I get my check

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Miles Jackson April 28, 2020 - 9:27 pm

Anthony-
I am not a tax professional. However my best guess of when to expect your stimulus payment is around the time of your next SS payment; perhaps early May?
Thank you for sharing

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Dixie Lee Banks April 28, 2020 - 5:36 pm

I not only not received my stimulus check I haven’t received my property tax return for 2018 or 2019 so don’t feel bad people. My neighbor got hers and one son and family got theirs but not me.

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Miles Jackson April 28, 2020 - 9:25 pm

Dixie-
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Thank you for sharing.
It’s often hard to make heads or tails of the government’s actions, or mistakes.
You need to reach out to the Treasury Department.
Thanks for reading.

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Tricia April 29, 2020 - 10:59 am

Every time I put mine or my husbands SS # in the program it tells me my information does not match what they have on file. So I checked my tax paperwork and everything is correct? What is the matter?

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Miles Jackson April 29, 2020 - 7:48 pm

Tricia-
Just a possibility, but it has been reported that entering the information in ALL CAPS may be a trick to fix your issue.
Hopefully it does the job for you.
Thanks for reaching out and reading.

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JuliusG April 30, 2020 - 7:35 am

I recently changed banks and according to the IRS am not able to update my bank information. Of course there is no one to call due to COVID, so I sits and waits.

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Miles Jackson April 30, 2020 - 7:46 am

Julius-
Unfortunately, it sounds like one of those ‘wrong place at the wrong time’ situations.
Hopefully you can get it sorted out with the Treasury Department.
Thanks for sharing and reading.

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DavidV April 30, 2020 - 10:38 am

My 2019 return hasn’t been processed yet. Filed by mail in late March. We didn’t have a refund in 2018. IRS workers in a lot of locations can’t go to work, so I’m guessing a lot of mail is piling up.

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Miles Jackson April 30, 2020 - 8:28 pm

DavidV-
Yes, I would agree with you. Like many, employees are working from home in many areas of government and the economy.
Everyone I have spoken to recently from government offices has been over the telephone as they were working from them homes.
Not sure what that means for mailed in tax returns, but it doesn’t seem optimistic.
Best of luck in getting your stimulus payment issue resolved.
Thank you for sharing and for reading.

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Gregory Downs May 2, 2020 - 10:39 pm

The online portal gave me a date and it has come and gone and still have not received my deposit. Cant talk to anyone from irs to see if there was a problem or just taking longer. Frustated

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Miles Jackson May 3, 2020 - 5:16 pm

Gregory,
I’m sorry to hear about your difficulties. Unfortunately every specific answer is with the Treasury Department.
Hopefully you will be able to get in contact with someone at the IRS.
Let us know if you have any success.
Thank you for reading.

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Diane Gosney May 24, 2020 - 6:39 pm

Hi i filed on the non-filers tool over a month ago. At first i checked the get my payment portal and it would say my payment status is unavailable. Then now for 3 weekes it has been saying the information i have entered does not match there records. Im frusterated. Im disabled and homeless in Sandiego California and i was so looking forward to geting a check like most other people i know and talk too have gotten there checks already. Could the problem be a mistake in the address?

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Miles Jackson May 24, 2020 - 8:06 pm

Diane-
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Of course, an incorrect address could be the cause of your issue. At the same time, we know there have been many reported glitches with the ‘Get My Payment” website. Unfortunately, there’s no magic bullet. You should reach out directly to the Treasury Department for a specific answer to your individual circumstance. Best of luck with that…
Thanks for reading!

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Carol L Ritter July 31, 2020 - 10:33 am

My husband and I file jointly. I work, he is retired. We filed for 2018 and 2019. He received his stimulus payment by direct deposit. It is July 31 and I am STILL waiting for my stimulus check. The IRS knows where I am, since they take their cut of my paycheck every pay period. Who do I contact to find out what is the delay? They have not (apparently) processed our returns yet either…

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Miles Jackson August 1, 2020 - 7:08 am

Carol-
I’m sorry to hear of your difficulties. Perhaps the suggestions in our post Second Stimulus Check Updates: Reminders, Remedies, and Resources may provide you with a method to find a suitable solution to your problem.
Best of luck and thanks for reading!

Reply

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