The Second Stimulus Payment and SSDI Recipients

The second stimulus check was a $600 payment issued between December 2020 and January 2021 as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. If you received SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), you were automatically sent this payment if you met the income threshold — you did not have to do anything to receive it.

The payment went to your bank account on file with Social Security, or by paper check if you had no account registered. Unlike the first stimulus check, there was no separate claim process for SSDI recipients. Social Security used the same income limits as other benefit recipients: if your modified adjusted gross income was below $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (married filing jointly), you received the full $600.

If you did not receive a second stimulus check and believe you should have, the issue was usually one of three things: your income exceeded the limit, Social Security did not have a current bank account or address on file, or the payment was sent but you did not recognize it. This section explains what happened and what your options were if you missed the payment.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients with income below $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (married) received the $600 second stimulus check automatically between December 2020 and January 2021.
  • You did not have to file a tax return or take any action to receive the payment — Social Security sent it based on your existing benefit record.
  • If you did not receive the payment, you could claim it on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit, which was the only way to recover a missed payment.
  • The payment was reduced by $50 for each $100 of income above the threshold, so some SSDI recipients received a partial payment rather than the full $600.
  • If you received the payment but it was seized by a creditor or debt collector, you had limited legal recourse because stimulus checks were not protected from garnishment in most cases.

How Social Security Determined Who Received the Payment

Social Security used your 2019 tax return to calculate the second stimulus check. If you had not filed taxes in 2019, they used your 2018 return instead. The agency looked at your modified adjusted gross income — essentially your total income minus certain deductions — and compared it to the income limit for your filing status.

For SSDI recipients, the income limit was $75,000 if you filed as single, or $150,000 if you filed as married filing jointly. If your income was below that limit, you received the full $600. If your income was between the limit and $75,000 more (or $150,000 more if married), the payment was reduced by $50 for every $100 over the threshold.

SSDI income itself did not count toward this limit in most cases. The limit applied to other income you reported on your tax return — wages, self-employment income, interest, dividends, and certain other sources. If SSDI was your only income and you had not filed a tax return, Social Security still sent you the payment because you fell below the threshold.

When and How the Payment Was Sent

The second stimulus check was issued in waves between mid-December 2020 and early January 2021. SSDI recipients were among the first groups to receive payments, usually in the second or third week of December 2020. The payment was sent to whichever account or address Social Security had on file for you.

If you had set up direct deposit with Social Security for your SSDI payments, the stimulus check was deposited to that same account. If you had not provided a bank account, Social Security mailed a paper check to your address on file. Paper checks took longer to arrive — typically one to three weeks after the initial mailing date.

Some SSDI recipients received the payment as a debit card loaded by the Treasury Department, particularly if Social Security could not locate a valid bank account or mailing address. These cards were sent by mail and could take several weeks to arrive. If you received a debit card and did not recognize it, you could call the number on the back to confirm it was the stimulus payment.

What to Do If You Did Not Receive the Second Stimulus Check

If you did not receive the $600 payment and believed you were may have access to to it, you could not contact Social Security or the IRS to request a replacement check. The only way to recover a missed second stimulus payment was to claim it on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit.

To claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, you had to file a 2020 tax return even if you normally did not file. You reported the amount you should have received (up to $600) on line 30 of Form 1040. If you owed taxes, the credit reduced what you owed. If you did not owe taxes, you received the difference as a refund.

The important date to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit was April 15, 2021, for the 2020 tax year. If you missed that important date, you could still file an amended return using Form 1040-X, but you had to do so within three years of the original important date. After that window closed, you could not recover the payment.

Income Limits and Partial Payments

The income threshold for the second stimulus check was strict, and payments were reduced dollar-for-dollar above the limit. If you were single and your modified adjusted gross income was $75,001 to $75,100, you received $550 instead of $600. If your income was $75,101 to $75,200, you received $500, and so on.

For married couples filing jointly, the same reduction applied above $150,000 of income. A married couple with income of $150,050 received $575 instead of $600. Once your income reached $75,000 plus $600 (or $150,000 plus $600 for married couples), you received nothing.

If you received SSDI and also had wages, self-employment income, or other reported income, your total income determined the payment amount. SSDI itself did not reduce the payment. If you were unsure whether your income was above the limit, you could review your 2019 or 2018 tax return to see what you reported.

What Happened If a Creditor or Debt Collector Took the Payment

Unlike SSDI payments themselves, which are protected from most creditors and debt collectors, the second stimulus check was not automatically protected. If you had unpaid debts — credit card balances, medical bills, student loans, or child support — a creditor could potentially seize the stimulus payment from your bank account.

The federal government did protect stimulus payments from being taken for federal debts like unpaid taxes or student loans. However, private creditors and some state agencies could pursue the payment through wage garnishment or bank account levies. If this happened, you received a notice from your bank or the creditor explaining the seizure.

If a creditor took your stimulus payment, your options were limited. You could contact the creditor to negotiate a settlement or payment plan, or you could consult a lawyer about whether the seizure violated state law. Some states had additional protections for stimulus payments, but these varied widely. Checking your state's attorney general website could tell you what protections applied in your area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to report the second stimulus check as income on my SSDI case?

No. The second stimulus check was not counted as income for SSDI purposes. It did not affect your monthly benefit amount, and you did not have to report it to Social Security. The same rule applied to the first and third stimulus checks.

What if I received the second stimulus check but I think I was not supposed to?

If your income was above the limit and you received the payment anyway, you were not required to return it. The IRS did not pursue overpayments of stimulus checks. If you want to be cautious, you could set the money aside in case the IRS contacts you, but this was unlikely.

Can I still claim the second stimulus check on my taxes if I missed the 2020 important date?

You can file an amended 2020 return using Form 1040-X within three years of the original April 15, 2021 important date. After that window closes, you cannot recover the payment through taxes. If you are past that important date now, you have missed the opportunity to claim it.

Did the second stimulus check affect my SSI or other means-tested benefits?

The second stimulus check did not count as income for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) purposes either. However, if you spent the money and it was still in your bank account at the end of a month, it could count as a resource and affect your SSI may be able to access. Spending it quickly avoided this issue.

What if my bank account information was wrong and the payment went somewhere else?

If Social Security had an outdated bank account on file, the payment may have been deposited to an old account you no longer use. You could contact that bank to ask if the deposit was received and request a trace. If the account was closed, the bank may have returned the payment to Social Security, which would have then mailed a paper check to your address on file.