Who Got the Third Stimulus Payment on SSDI

If you received SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) in 2020 or early 2021, you were automatically sent the third stimulus payment without having to take any action. The payment was $1,400 per person for most recipients, though some people received less or nothing depending on their income and tax filing status.

The third payment went out between March and December 2021. The Social Security Administration used its own records to identify SSDI recipients and sent payments directly to the bank account on file with Social Security, or by check or debit card if no account was registered. You did not need to file a tax return, call anyone, or submit paperwork to receive it.

The payment was based on your 2019 or 2020 tax return, or on information Social Security already had about you. If you had not filed taxes in those years, Social Security used your SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or SSDI benefit records instead.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received the third stimulus payment automatically between March and December 2021 with no action required on their part.
  • The payment amount was $1,400 per person for most recipients, though income limits and tax filing status affected some people's amounts.
  • Payments went to the bank account registered with Social Security, or by check or debit card if no account was on file.
  • If you did not receive a payment you believe you were owed, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit.

How Much the Third Payment Was

The standard third stimulus payment was $1,400 per person. This amount applied to most SSDI recipients with no income limit — receiving SSDI did not reduce or eliminate your payment.

Some people received less than $1,400 or nothing at all. This happened if your 2019 or 2020 adjusted gross income (AGI) was above a certain threshold. For single filers, the payment began to reduce at $75,000 AGI and reached zero at $80,000. For married couples filing jointly, it began to reduce at $150,000 and reached zero at $160,000. If you were married filing separately, the thresholds were $5,000 to $5,000.

SSDI income itself did not count toward these thresholds. The thresholds applied only to other income — wages, self-employment income, investment income, or taxable benefits. Many SSDI recipients had no other income and received the full $1,400.

When Payments Were Sent Out

The IRS and Social Security began sending third stimulus payments in mid-March 2021. Payments continued through the end of 2021, with the last batches sent in December.

The timing depended on how Social Security processed your information. Most SSDI recipients received payments within the first two months, between mid-March and mid-May 2021. Some payments took longer if Social Security needed to verify your address or bank account information.

If you received your payment by direct deposit, it arrived in your bank account within one to three business days of the IRS sending it. If you received a check, it took seven to fourteen business days from the mailing date. Debit cards took longer — some arrived weeks after being mailed.

What to Do If You Did Not Receive a Payment

If you did not receive the third stimulus payment and believe you were owed it, you had the option to claim it on your 2021 tax return. The IRS called this the Recovery Rebate Credit.

To claim it, you filed your 2021 tax return and reported the missing payment. The IRS would then compare what you should have received to what you actually got, and send you the difference. You could file the return yourself, use tax software, or work with a tax preparer.

The important date to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 return was April 18, 2022. If you did not file by that date, you could still file a late return, but the IRS could not process it as quickly. After April 2022, the IRS stopped accepting new claims for the third stimulus payment.

How to Track a Missing Payment

If you thought you should have received a payment but did not see it, you could check the status using the IRS's Get My Payment tool on the IRS website. This tool showed whether the IRS had sent your payment, when it was sent, and how it was sent (direct deposit, check, or debit card).

To use the tool, you needed your Social Security number, date of birth, and street address. The tool told you the payment status as of the last time the IRS updated it — usually within 24 hours of sending a payment. If the tool said the payment was sent but you never received it, you could report it to the IRS or contact your bank to see if it was deposited to the wrong account.

If the Get My Payment tool said no payment was sent, you could file a 2021 tax return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit. This was the only way to recover a payment the IRS never sent.

SSDI and Stimulus Payments: Income and Benefit Limits

Receiving the third stimulus payment did not reduce your SSDI benefits. SSDI is a work-based insurance program, and stimulus payments are not counted as income that affects your monthly benefit amount.

However, if you also received SSI (Supplemental Security Income), the stimulus payment could have affected your SSI benefits. SSI has strict income and resource limits, and stimulus payments counted as income in the month you received them. This could have reduced your SSI payment for that month. If you received both SSDI and SSI, you should have checked with Social Security about how the payment affected your SSI amount.

The stimulus payment also did not affect your ability to work or your work incentives under SSDI. It was treated as a one-time payment, not ongoing income.

Dependents and the Third Stimulus Payment

The third stimulus payment included $1,400 for each dependent claimed on your tax return. Dependents could be children, elderly parents, or other relatives you supported.

If you were an SSDI recipient and claimed dependents on your 2019 or 2020 tax return, the IRS sent you an additional $1,400 for each one. If you had not filed a tax return but had dependents, Social Security could not automatically send dependent payments — you would have needed to file a 2021 return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit to get the dependent amounts.

Dependent payments went to the person who claimed the dependent on their tax return, not to the dependent themselves. If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else's return, you did not receive a separate payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to pay back the third stimulus payment?

No. The third stimulus payment was not a loan. You did not have to repay it, and it did not affect your taxes or future benefits. It was a one-time payment from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What if I received a payment but was not supposed to?

The IRS did not ask people to return overpayments of the third stimulus. If you received more than you were owed due to an error, you did not have to send it back. However, if you received a payment and your income was above the threshold, you might owe taxes on it when you filed your return — though this was rare for SSDI recipients.

Can I still claim the third stimulus payment if I did not file taxes?

Yes. You could file a 2021 tax return even if you had no income or had never filed before. You would report the missing payment as the Recovery Rebate Credit. The IRS would then send you the amount you were owed. A tax preparer or free tax software could help you file.

Did the third stimulus payment count as income for Medicare or Medicaid?

No. The stimulus payment was not counted as income for Medicare or Medicaid purposes. It did not affect your may be able to access for either program or your premiums.

What if I was in a nursing home or institution when I received the payment?

If you were in a nursing home, hospital, or other institution, you still received the payment. The payment went to the address Social Security had on file. If you were unable to manage the money, a representative payee or legal guardian could help you access it.