Where to check your stimulus payment status

The IRS maintains a tool called "Get My Payment" that shows the status of any stimulus payment sent to you. You can access it at irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. The tool tells you whether a payment was sent, the amount, the date it was sent, and the method (direct deposit, check, or debit card). If you received SSDI during 2020 or 2021, you should be able to look up your payment there even if you did not file a tax return that year.

You will need either your Social Security number, date of birth, and street address, or your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if you have one. The tool updates once per day, usually overnight, so checking multiple times in the same day will show the same information.

If Get My Payment shows a payment was sent but you never received it, or if the amount shown is wrong, you have options depending on how long ago the payment was issued. Payments from 2020 and 2021 are now handled through amended tax returns or the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service rather than through the payment tool itself.

Key Takeaways

  • The IRS Get My Payment tool at irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment shows whether your stimulus payment was sent, how much it was, and when it arrived.
  • SSDI recipients who did not file taxes in 2020 or 2021 can still check their payment status using their Social Security number and date of birth.
  • If Get My Payment shows a payment was sent but you did not receive it, you can file an amended tax return (Form 1040-X) to claim the missing amount as a credit.
  • Payments issued more than a year ago are no longer tracked in Get My Payment; contact the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service or file Form 3911 to investigate.

What to do if Get My Payment shows no record of your payment

If you log into Get My Payment and see no payment history at all, the IRS may not have had your current address or banking information on file when the payment was issued. This happened frequently to SSDI recipients because Social Security and the IRS do not automatically share updated address information.

Check your mail for a paper check or a debit card issued in your name. Stimulus checks were mailed to the address the IRS had on file, which may have been outdated. If you moved between 2020 and 2021, a check could have gone to an old address. Contact your local post office and ask whether mail forwarding is still active on your account, or whether a check was returned to sender.

If you believe the IRS never sent a payment to you at all, you can claim it on your next tax return. File Form 1040 (or 1040-SR if you are 65 or older) and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on Schedule 3. You will need to report the amount you believe you should have received. The IRS will review your claim and issue a refund if you are owed the money.

Checking for payments sent by direct deposit

If Get My Payment shows your stimulus payment was sent by direct deposit, check your bank or credit union account for the deposit. Direct deposits typically arrived within one to three business days of the IRS sending them, though some banks processed them more slowly.

Search your account history for deposits from "IRS TREAS 310" or "USATREAS 310" — that is how the IRS labels stimulus payments in bank records. If you see that deposit, your payment arrived. If you do not see it and Get My Payment says it was sent, contact your bank and provide them with the date shown in Get My Payment. The bank can search their records to see whether the deposit bounced or was rejected.

If your bank confirms the deposit was rejected (usually because the account was closed or flagged as inactive), the IRS will have sent a paper check to your address as a backup. Check your mail for that check, or file Form 1040 with the Recovery Rebate Credit if the check never arrived.

What to do if the payment amount shown is incorrect

Get My Payment shows the amount the IRS calculated you should receive based on the information they had at the time. For the first stimulus payment in 2020, SSDI recipients typically received $1,200 per adult and $500 per child. The second payment in 2021 was $600 per adult and $600 per child. The third payment in 2021 was $1,400 per adult and $1,400 per child. If the amount shown is less than that, it may mean the IRS had incomplete information about your household.

You can claim the difference on your tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit. File Form 1040 and Schedule 3, report the total amount you should have received, and subtract what Get My Payment shows you actually received. The difference is your credit. The IRS will issue a refund for any amount owed to you.

Do not assume the amount is wrong based on memory alone. Get My Payment is the official record. If you received multiple payments and are unsure of the total, add up what Get My Payment shows for each year.

Tracking payments issued as debit cards

Some SSDI recipients received their stimulus payments on prepaid debit cards issued by the U.S. Treasury. These cards were mailed to your address and arrived in an envelope labeled "Economic Impact Payment Card." The card itself has a Visa logo and a 16-digit number.

If Get My Payment shows your payment was sent by debit card but you never received the card, check your mail carefully — the envelope is small and straightforward to miss. If you moved, the card may have gone to an old address. Contact the card issuer (the number is usually printed on materials that came with the card, or you can search online for "EIP card issuer") and ask them to check whether the card was delivered or returned.

If the card was delivered but you lost it or it was damaged, the issuer can reissue a replacement card. If the card was never delivered and cannot be reissued, you can claim the amount on your tax return using the Recovery Rebate Credit, just as you would for a missing check or direct deposit.

How to file a claim for a missing or lost payment

If you did not receive a stimulus payment that Get My Payment shows was sent, or if Get My Payment shows no record but you believe you should have received one, you can claim it on your tax return. You do not need to wait for a specific date or important date — you can file this claim on any tax return you file going forward.

Use Form 1040 (or 1040-SR) and attach Schedule 3. On Schedule 3, line 1, report the Recovery Rebate Credit. Enter the total amount of stimulus payments you should have received across all three rounds (2020, 2020, and 2021). Subtract the amount Get My Payment shows you actually received. The difference is your credit.

If you have not filed a tax return in several years, you can file a return just to claim this credit. You do not need income to file — SSDI is not taxable income. The IRS will process your return and send you a refund for the credit amount.

If you need help filing, contact a local tax preparation service, a community action agency, or the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service at 1-877-777-4778. These services are free for people with low income.

When to contact the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service

If you have tried Get My Payment, checked your mail and bank account, and still cannot locate your payment, or if you believe the IRS made an error in calculating your payment amount, you can contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service. This is a free office within the IRS that helps people resolve disputes with the agency.

Call 1-877-777-4778 or visit taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov. Explain that you are looking for a missing stimulus payment and provide the date range (2020 or 2021) and the amount you believe you should have received. The Advocate Service can request a trace of your payment from the IRS and investigate whether it was sent, where it went, and whether you are owed a replacement.

The Taxpayer Advocate Service is especially useful if your payment was issued more than a year ago. Get My Payment only tracks recent payments, so older claims require investigation by the Advocate Service or a filed tax return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I check my stimulus payment status if I do not have a Social Security number?

If you have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) instead, you can use that to log into Get My Payment. If you have neither, you will need to file a tax return to claim any missing stimulus payment through the Recovery Rebate Credit. Contact a local tax preparation service or the IRS for help.

What if Get My Payment says my payment was sent but my bank says they never received it?

The IRS and your bank may have different records. Ask your bank for written confirmation that the deposit was rejected or never arrived. Bring that confirmation to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, or file Form 1040 with the Recovery Rebate Credit. Either way, you can claim the amount you are owed.

Do I have to file a tax return to claim a missing stimulus payment?

No. You can file Form 1040 and Schedule 3 just to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, even if you have no income. You do not need to file if you do not want to, but filing is the fastest way to receive the money. The Taxpayer Advocate Service can also investigate on your behalf.

How long does it take to get a refund after I file for the Recovery Rebate Credit?

The IRS typically processes refunds within 21 days of receiving your return, though it can take longer if your return is selected for review. You can check the status of your refund at irs.gov/refunds using the same login information as Get My Payment.

Can I claim a stimulus payment I received if I was not supposed to?

No. If you received a payment and the IRS later determines you were not owed it, they will send you a notice asking you to repay it. Do not spend money you are unsure about. If you receive a notice, contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service to discuss your options.