Yes, people on SSDI have received stimulus checks

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients were included in all three rounds of federal stimulus payments issued during the pandemic. The payments went to people receiving SSDI benefits automatically — you did not have to take any extra steps or contact Social Security to receive them. If you were on SSDI when the payments were issued, the money went to the bank account or address Social Security had on file for you.

The three rounds of stimulus payments were issued in 2020 and 2021. The first payment was $1,200 per person, the second was $600 per person, and the third was $1,400 per person. Payments were sent to people based on their tax returns or Social Security records, depending on which information the government had available.

If you were receiving SSDI during any of these periods and did not receive a payment you thought you should have, the issue was usually a mismatch in the government's records — either an outdated address, a name change that was not updated, or a bank account that was closed or changed.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received all three stimulus payments automatically without having to file taxes or submit a separate request.
  • Payments were sent to the bank account or mailing address Social Security had recorded for you at the time each payment was issued.
  • If you did not receive a payment, the most common reason was an outdated address or bank account information on file with Social Security.
  • You can check the status of any stimulus payment you may have missed by visiting the IRS website or contacting Social Security directly.

How stimulus payments were sent to SSDI recipients

The government used Social Security's records to identify who was receiving SSDI benefits and automatically sent payments to those people. You did not need to do anything — no form to fill out, no phone call to make, no visit to an office. If Social Security had your direct deposit information, the money went into your bank account. If they did not have banking details, the payment was mailed as a check to your address.

The timing of each payment varied. The first round began in April 2020, the second in December 2020, and the third in March 2021. Some people received their payments within days, while others took several weeks, depending on whether the payment was direct deposited or mailed.

Social Security did not send you a separate notice telling you a stimulus payment was coming. The money straightforward appeared in your account or arrived in the mail. Many people did not realize it was a stimulus payment until they saw it post or received a letter from the IRS weeks later.

What to do if you did not receive a stimulus payment

If you were on SSDI during one of the three payment periods and did not receive the money, start by checking the IRS website. The IRS has a tool called "Get My Payment" that shows whether a payment was issued to you, when it was sent, and where it was sent. You can access this tool at irs.gov without logging in — you only need your Social Security number, date of birth, and mailing address.

If the IRS tool shows a payment was issued but you never received it, the next step depends on how it was sent. If it was direct deposited, contact your bank to ask whether the deposit arrived and was rejected or reversed. If it was mailed as a check, the check may have been lost or sent to an old address. You can request a replacement check from the IRS, though this process takes several weeks.

If the IRS tool shows no payment was issued to you at all, you may be able to claim the payment on your tax return for that year. This is called the Recovery Rebate Credit. You would file a tax return for the year the payment should have been issued and claim the credit for the amount you did not receive. Many people on SSDI do not file taxes, so this option may not be practical for you — in that case, contact Social Security to ask whether your records need to be updated.

Why some SSDI recipients did not receive payments

The most common reason an SSDI recipient did not receive a stimulus payment was outdated information in Social Security's records. If your mailing address had changed and you did not update it with Social Security, the check was mailed to an old address. If you had closed a bank account and opened a new one without telling Social Security, a direct deposit payment would have been rejected.

A smaller number of people did not receive payments because of errors in the government's matching process. Social Security's records and the IRS's records did not always match perfectly, especially for people who had recently started receiving SSDI or whose names had changed. These mismatches sometimes caused the government to skip someone by accident.

People who were incarcerated during the payment periods were not sent stimulus checks, even if they were receiving SSDI. This was a federal rule that applied to all stimulus payments. If you were incarcerated and have since been released, you may be able to claim the payment on your tax return.

Keeping your information current with Social Security

To make sure you receive any future payments or notices from Social Security, keep your address and bank account information up to date. You can update your address by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213, visiting your local Social Security office, or creating an account on ssa.gov and updating it yourself online.

If you want to receive payments by direct deposit instead of by check, Social Security can set that up for you. Direct deposit is faster and more reliable than mail, and it reduces the risk that a payment will be lost or sent to the wrong address. You will need to provide your bank's routing number and your account number.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay taxes on a stimulus check?

No. Stimulus payments are not considered income and you do not have to report them on your tax return. They do not affect your SSDI benefits or your may be able to access for other programs like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid.

If I received a stimulus check by mail, can I deposit it now even though it is old?

Yes, you can deposit an old stimulus check at any time. Banks will accept checks from the stimulus payments even years after they were issued. If the check is damaged or you lost it, you can request a replacement from the IRS.

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

You do not have to return it. The government did not require anyone to repay stimulus payments, even if they received more than they were may have access to to. This applies to SSDI recipients and everyone else who received a payment.

Will there be more stimulus payments?

There have been no additional federal stimulus payments since 2021. Congress would have to pass new legislation to authorize another round of payments. If that happens, SSDI recipients would receive payments the same way they did before — automatically, without having to take any action.