SSDI recipients automatically received the 2020 stimulus payments

If you were receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in 2020, you got the stimulus payments without having to take any action. The IRS and Social Security worked together to send the money directly to your bank account or mailing address on file — the same way your regular SSDI payment arrives.

There were two rounds of stimulus payments in 2020: the first sent $1,200 per adult in April and May, and the second sent $600 per adult in December and January 2021. Both payments went to SSDI recipients automatically because Social Security had your information already.

You did not need to file a tax return, call anyone, or prove anything. If you were on SSDI when the payments were issued, you received them.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received both 2020 stimulus payments automatically without filing taxes or submitting paperwork.
  • The first payment of $1,200 per adult was sent in April and May 2020, and the second payment of $600 per adult was sent in December 2020 and January 2021.
  • The payments went to the same bank account or address where your regular SSDI checks arrive.
  • If you did not receive a payment you believe you were owed, you could claim it on your 2020 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.

How the payments were sent to SSDI recipients

Social Security provided the IRS with the names, addresses, and bank account information of all SSDI recipients. The IRS then used that information to send the stimulus payments without requiring SSDI recipients to do anything on their end.

If you had direct deposit set up for your SSDI payment, your stimulus arrived by direct deposit. If you received your SSDI check by mail, your stimulus came by check in the mail. Some recipients received a debit card instead, depending on how their bank account information was recorded.

The payments were not taxable income and did not affect your SSDI benefits or your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if you received that as well.

What happened if you did not receive a payment

A small number of SSDI recipients did not receive their stimulus payments on the first attempt. This sometimes happened if Social Security's records had an outdated address or bank account information, or if there was a processing error.

If you did not receive a 2020 stimulus payment you believed you were owed, you could claim it on your 2020 federal tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit. You would file Form 1040 and attach Schedule 3 to claim the missing amount. The IRS would then send you the difference between what you received and what you were owed.

If you did not normally file taxes because your income was too low, you could still file a return just to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit and receive the stimulus money you missed.

SSDI and stimulus payments in later years

In 2021, Congress passed a third stimulus payment of $1,400 per adult. SSDI recipients received this payment the same way — automatically, with no action required.

No stimulus payments were issued in 2022 or 2023. If future stimulus payments are authorized by Congress, SSDI recipients would receive them through the same automatic process used in 2020 and 2021.

How stimulus payments affected your benefits

The 2020 stimulus payments did not reduce your SSDI benefits. SSDI is not a means-tested program, which means your benefit amount does not change based on how much money you have in the bank or receive from other sources.

If you also received Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the stimulus payments were treated as excluded income under SSI rules. This meant they did not count against your SSI benefit in the month you received them, though they could affect your SSI in later months if you had not spent them and they remained in your bank account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to do anything to get the 2020 stimulus payments?

No. If you were receiving SSDI when the payments were issued, you received them automatically. Social Security sent your information to the IRS, and the IRS sent the money without requiring you to file taxes, call, or submit any forms.

What if I received SSI instead of SSDI — did I get the stimulus?

Yes. SSI recipients also received the 2020 stimulus payments automatically. The process was the same as for SSDI recipients — Social Security provided your information to the IRS, and the payments were sent without any action on your part.

Can I still claim a stimulus payment I missed in 2020?

Yes, but only if you did not receive it at the time. You can file a 2020 tax return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for any stimulus payment you were owed but did not receive. The IRS will send you the difference between what you got and what you were may have access to to.

Did the stimulus payments affect my SSDI or SSI benefits?

Stimulus payments did not reduce SSDI benefits. For SSI, the payments were excluded income in the month you received them, but could affect your SSI in later months if the money remained in your bank account and pushed your resources over the SSI limit.

What if my address or bank account information was wrong when the payment was sent?

If the IRS sent your payment to an old address or closed bank account, you could claim it on your 2020 tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit. File Form 1040 with Schedule 3 to claim the amount you missed, and the IRS will send it to you.