SSDI recipients were included in all three rounds of stimulus payments

If you received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you were automatically included in the stimulus payment program during the COVID-19 pandemic. You did not have to file a tax return or take any action to receive the money — Social Security sent it directly to the bank account or address on file with them.

The three rounds of stimulus payments were issued in 2020 and 2021. The first payment was $1,200 per person, the second was $600, and the third was $1,400. Families with dependent children received additional amounts for each child.

Because SSDI recipients were automatically included based on Social Security's records, you received the payment even if you had no income from work and did not file taxes that year.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received all three stimulus payments automatically without having to file taxes or submit any paperwork.
  • Payments were sent to the bank account or mailing address Social Security had on record for you.
  • The first payment was $1,200, the second was $600, and the third was $1,400 per person, plus additional amounts for dependent children.
  • If you did not receive a payment you believe you were owed, the IRS had a tool to check the status of your payment.

How the payments were sent to SSDI recipients

Social Security used the same payment method you normally receive your benefits. If your SSDI check was deposited directly into your bank account, the stimulus payment went to that same account. If you received a paper check from Social Security, the stimulus came as a paper check to your mailing address.

The payments arrived in waves over several weeks rather than all at once. The IRS staggered the distribution to manage the volume, so some people received their payment earlier than others even though they were in the same round.

You did not need to contact Social Security or the IRS to receive the payment. The agencies matched their records automatically and sent the money without requiring you to take action.

What happened if you did not receive a payment

Some SSDI recipients did not receive their stimulus payment, usually because of a mismatch in records — for example, if your bank account information changed and Social Security's records were not updated, or if the payment was sent to an old address.

The IRS created a tool called "Get My Payment" that let you check whether a payment had been sent and where it was going. If the tool showed your payment was sent to the wrong account or address, you could update your information. If the tool showed no payment was sent at all, you could claim the stimulus as a credit on your tax return for that year, even if you normally did not file taxes.

To claim the stimulus as a tax credit, you would file a return for the year the payment should have been sent (2020 or 2021). You could use Form 1040 or a simpler form depending on your situation. Many tax preparation services offered free filing for people with low income.

Whether stimulus payments affected your SSDI benefits

The stimulus payments did not count as income for the purpose of calculating your SSDI benefits. Social Security treated them as one-time payments that did not affect your monthly benefit amount.

The payments also did not count toward the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) resource limit if you received SSI in addition to SSDI. However, SSI has strict rules about how much money you can have in savings, so if you received SSI, keeping large amounts of the stimulus payment in your bank account could have affected your benefits in future months. Many SSI recipients were advised to spend or move the money to protect their benefits.

If you received only SSDI and not SSI, the stimulus payment had no effect on your benefits at all.

Stimulus payments and tax returns

You did not have to report the stimulus payment on your tax return as income. The IRS did not consider it taxable income, and you did not owe taxes on it.

However, if you did not receive a stimulus payment you were owed, you could claim it on your tax return as a credit. This was called the Recovery Rebate Credit. You would claim it on your return for the year the payment should have been sent, and the IRS would send you the money you were owed.

If you normally did not file a tax return because your income was too low, you could still file one just to claim the stimulus credit. The IRS allowed people to file returns with no income in order to claim the credit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to do anything to get the stimulus payment as an SSDI recipient?

No. Social Security automatically sent the payment to you based on their records. You did not need to file taxes, contact the agency, or submit any paperwork. The payment was sent to your normal bank account or mailing address.

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

Yes, SSI recipients were also automatically included in the stimulus program. The payment was sent the same way as for SSDI recipients. However, SSI has strict resource limits, so you may have needed to spend the money quickly to protect your benefits in future months.

Can I still claim a stimulus payment I never received?

Yes, if you did not receive a payment you were owed, you can claim it on your tax return for that year using the Recovery Rebate Credit. You can file a return even if you normally do not file taxes. The IRS will send you the money owed.

Did the stimulus payment reduce my monthly SSDI check?

No. The stimulus payment did not count as income and did not affect your monthly SSDI benefit amount. Your benefits continued at the same rate.

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

Contact the IRS or Social Security to report the issue. You may be asked to return the payment, but the agencies typically worked with people to set up a repayment plan rather than demanding when ready return of the full amount.