Yes, the IRS has sent stimulus checks to people receiving SSDI

If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you were included in the three rounds of stimulus payments the IRS sent during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first payment in 2020 was $1,200 per person, the second in 2021 was $600, and the third in 2021 was $1,400. You did not have to file a tax return or take any action to receive these payments — the IRS used your Social Security information to send the money automatically.

The IRS treated SSDI recipients the same way it treated other people receiving Social Security benefits. Because Social Security already had your address and bank account information on file, the agency could deposit the money directly or mail a check without requiring you to explore. This meant most people on SSDI received their stimulus payments without doing anything.

However, some people on SSDI did not receive their full payment or received nothing at all. This happened for specific reasons — and there are steps you can take if that happened to you.

Key Takeaways

  • The IRS sent three rounds of stimulus payments to SSDI recipients in 2020 and 2021 without requiring them to file a tax return or submit a form.
  • Most SSDI recipients received their payments automatically through direct deposit or by mail, using information Social Security already had on file.
  • If you did not receive a stimulus payment or received less than you were owed, you could claim the missing amount on your 2021 tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit.
  • The IRS is no longer sending stimulus payments, and the Recovery Rebate Credit important date has passed for most people.

Why SSDI recipients were automatically included

The IRS did not need SSDI recipients to take action because Social Security maintains current address and payment information for everyone on the program. When Congress authorized the stimulus payments, the IRS worked directly with Social Security to identify who should receive money and where to send it. This meant the agency could process payments for SSDI recipients without them filing a tax return or contacting the IRS.

The automatic process worked the same way for SSDI as it did for people receiving regular Social Security retirement benefits. Both groups had their information already in a government database, so the IRS could act without waiting for people to file paperwork. This was faster and reached more people than requiring everyone to explore individually.

What happened if you did not receive your payment

Some people on SSDI did not get their stimulus money for several reasons. Your payment might have been mailed to an old address if Social Security's records were out of date. A payment might have been deposited to a bank account that was closed or frozen. In rare cases, the IRS had incomplete information and could not locate you at all.

If you did not receive a stimulus payment you were owed, the IRS allowed you to claim it on your 2021 tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit. This was a special tax credit that let you recover money the IRS should have sent but did not. You would file Form 1040 (the main tax return form) and claim the credit for any missing payments.

The important date to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 return was April 18, 2023. If you did not file by that date, you cannot claim the missing stimulus money through the tax system anymore. However, if you believe the IRS made an error, you can still contact the agency to ask about your specific situation.

How to contact the IRS if you did not receive your payment

If you did not receive a stimulus payment and the important date to claim it on your tax return has passed, you can still reach the IRS to ask about your payment. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 during business hours. Have your Social Security number ready, and be prepared to explain which payment or payments you did not receive (the 2020 payment, the 2021 payments, or all three).

The IRS can look up your payment history and tell you whether the money was sent and where. If the payment was mailed, the agency can tell you the address it was sent to. If it was supposed to be deposited to a bank account, the IRS can confirm which account. This information helps you figure out what happened and whether you need to contact your bank or the post office.

Be aware that IRS phone lines are often busy, especially during tax season. You may need to call multiple times or wait on hold for a long time. If you have a tax professional or accountant, they can also contact the IRS on your behalf using their own access codes.

Stimulus payments and your SSDI benefits

Receiving a stimulus payment did not affect your SSDI benefits. The Social Security Administration did not count stimulus money as income for the purpose of calculating your monthly payment. This meant you could receive the full stimulus amount without worrying that it would reduce your SSDI check.

Stimulus payments also did not count toward the resource limits that explore to SSDI. Social Security tracks how much money and property you own, and having too many resources can affect your benefits. However, the agency treated stimulus payments as one-time relief money and did not count them in this calculation. This protection was temporary and applied only to the three rounds of pandemic stimulus payments.

Whether future stimulus payments might happen

The three stimulus payments sent in 2020 and 2021 were authorized by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no current law authorizing additional stimulus payments, and the IRS is not sending any new rounds of money. If Congress passes a law in the future authorizing another stimulus payment, SSDI recipients would likely be included automatically, just as they were in the previous three rounds.

If you hear about a new stimulus payment being announced, be cautious about where you get the information. Scammers sometimes claim to offer stimulus money or help people claim it, and they use these claims to steal personal information or money. The IRS will never contact you by email, text message, or social media to ask for personal information or payment. If you receive such a message, it is a scam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to do anything to get my stimulus payment if I was on SSDI?

No. The IRS automatically sent stimulus payments to SSDI recipients using information Social Security had on file. You did not have to file a tax return, fill out a form, or contact anyone. The money was either deposited to your bank account or mailed to your address.

What if I received a stimulus payment but I think it was the wrong amount?

Each stimulus payment had a set amount per person: $1,200 in 2020, $600 in the first 2021 payment, and $1,400 in the second 2021 payment. If you received less than these amounts, you could have claimed the difference on your 2021 tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit. That important date has passed, but you can call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to ask about your specific payment.

Can stimulus payments affect my SSDI in the future?

The three pandemic stimulus payments did not reduce your SSDI benefits and did not count toward your resource limits. However, this protection applied only to those specific payments. Other money you receive may affect your benefits depending on the source and amount.

What should I do if someone offers to help me get a stimulus payment?

Be very cautious. The IRS does not contact people by email, text, or social media asking for personal information or payment. If someone claims they can help you get stimulus money in exchange for a fee or personal details, it is almost certainly a scam. The stimulus payments have ended, and there is no legitimate service that can recover money you did not receive.