Who received stimulus checks in 2023

The U.S. government did not send out stimulus checks in 2023. The last round of federal stimulus payments went out in 2021, after the American Rescue Plan was signed into law in March of that year. If you received SSDI payments in 2021, you may have gotten a $1,400 stimulus check then — but there were no new stimulus checks issued in 2023.

This is an important distinction because stimulus checks are separate from your regular SSDI benefits. They were emergency payments created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, not an ongoing part of the Social Security system. Once the government stopped issuing them, they ended entirely.

If you are looking for information about a payment you received in 2023 that you thought might be a stimulus check, it was almost certainly something else — possibly a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to your regular SSDI benefit, a back payment from a recent approval, or a state-level payment. Those are different programs with different rules.

Key Takeaways

  • No federal stimulus checks were issued in 2023; the last round came in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan.
  • SSDI recipients who were on the rolls in 2021 received the $1,400 stimulus payment automatically, without having to take any action.
  • If you did not receive a 2021 stimulus check and believe you should have, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return, but that important date has passed.
  • Stimulus checks are separate from your regular SSDI benefits and are not expected to return unless Congress passes new legislation.

How SSDI recipients received the 2021 stimulus checks

If you were receiving SSDI benefits in March 2021, when the American Rescue Plan became law, the Social Security Administration sent you a $1,400 payment automatically. You did not have to do anything — no form to fill out, no call to make. The money went to the same account or address where you normally received your benefits.

This automatic process was one of the key differences between the 2021 stimulus and earlier rounds. The government had your information already because you were on the SSDI rolls, so they did not need you to file a tax return or register with the IRS. The payment arrived within a few weeks of the law passing.

If you were not receiving SSDI in March 2021 but started receiving it later that year, you would not have gotten the stimulus check. The payment was tied to your status on a specific date, not to your current status.

What to do if you think you missed a 2021 stimulus check

If you were receiving SSDI in March 2021 but never received the $1,400 payment, the window to claim it has largely closed. The official important date to claim a missing 2021 stimulus check was when you filed your 2021 tax return. For most people, that important date passed in April 2022.

If you did file a 2021 tax return and claimed the stimulus payment as a Recovery Rebate Credit, you should have received it as part of your refund. If you did not receive it and did not file a return, contacting the IRS directly is your only remaining option, though they may not be able to process the claim at this point.

For practical purposes, if you did not receive the 2021 stimulus check and did not claim it on your 2021 taxes, that money is no longer available to you. The government does not issue replacement payments for missed stimulus checks from prior years.

The difference between stimulus checks and SSDI benefits

Stimulus checks and SSDI benefits are two completely separate things, and it is important to understand the difference. Your regular SSDI payment is a monthly benefit based on your work history and disability status. It comes every month, and the amount is set by Social Security based on your earnings record.

A stimulus check is a one-time emergency payment from the federal government, issued only during specific crises and only when Congress passes a law authorizing it. It is not part of the Social Security system. It does not affect your SSDI benefits, and receiving one does not change your may be able to access for anything else.

The 2021 stimulus was the third and final round of pandemic-related payments. There is no indication that Congress plans to issue more stimulus checks, though that could change if another major economic crisis occurs and lawmakers decide to respond with stimulus payments again.

Cost-of-living adjustments versus stimulus checks

If you received a larger SSDI payment in 2023 than you did in 2022, that was almost certainly a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. Every year, Social Security raises benefits for people on SSDI and other programs to account for inflation. In 2023, that increase was 8.7 percent — one of the largest COLAs in decades.

A COLA is not the same as a stimulus check. It is a permanent increase to your monthly benefit, not a one-time payment. It happens automatically every January, and the amount depends on inflation rates from the previous year. You do not have to do anything to receive it.

Many people confused the 2023 COLA with a stimulus check because the increase was larger than usual. But it was part of your regular benefits, not a separate emergency payment.

State-level payments and other one-time money

Some states have issued their own one-time payments to people on SSDI or other benefits, separate from federal stimulus checks. These vary widely by state and year. If you received a payment in 2023 that you did not expect, it may have come from your state government rather than the federal government.

To find out whether your state issued any payments to SSDI recipients, contact your state's Social Services office or check your state's official website. The payment notice you received should say who issued it — the federal government, your state, or a local agency.

These state payments are not stimulus checks in the federal sense, but they serve a similar purpose: providing extra money to people who need it. They are not ongoing, and they do not affect your SSDI may be able to access or benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be another stimulus check in 2024 or 2025?

There is no current plan for another federal stimulus check. Congress would have to pass new legislation to authorize one, which would only happen if lawmakers decided to respond to a major economic crisis with stimulus payments. As of now, no such legislation is being discussed.

Do I have to report a 2021 stimulus check on my taxes?

No. Stimulus checks are not taxable income, and you do not report them on your tax return. If you did not receive one and claimed it as a Recovery Rebate Credit, that is the only tax-related action you would take.

If I was not on SSDI in 2021 but am now, can I get the stimulus check?

No. The 2021 stimulus was based on your status in March 2021. If you were not receiving SSDI then, you would not have been sent the payment. You cannot claim it now.

Does receiving a stimulus check affect my SSDI benefits or my SSI?

No. Stimulus checks do not count as income for SSDI or SSI purposes, and they do not affect your benefits, your may be able to access, or any other programs you are on. They are treated as separate, non-taxable payments.

What if I received a stimulus check but I was not supposed to?

If you received a 2021 stimulus check in error, the IRS may contact you about it. If they do, follow their instructions. In most cases, the government has not pursued repayment of stimulus checks sent in error, but you should not ignore official contact from the IRS.