SSDI recipients did receive stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic

If you were receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) when the federal government sent stimulus payments in 2020 and 2021, you received those checks automatically. You did not have to file a tax return or take any action. The payments went to the bank account or address on file with Social Security.

There were three rounds of stimulus payments. The first arrived in spring 2020 ($1,200 per adult), the second in early 2021 ($600 per adult), and the third in spring 2021 ($1,400 per adult). SSDI recipients were included in all three rounds because Social Security automatically reported their information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

If you did not receive a payment you believe you were owed, or if you received a payment but lost track of it, the IRS has tools to help you find out what happened. Those tools remain available even though the stimulus program ended.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received all three stimulus payments automatically without having to file taxes or submit paperwork.
  • Payments were sent to the bank account or mailing address Social Security had on file for you.
  • If you did not receive a payment, the IRS's "Get My Payment" tool can show you the status and where it was sent.
  • Stimulus payments did not count as income and did not affect your SSDI benefits or Medicare coverage.

How SSDI recipients were identified for stimulus payments

Social Security automatically shared the names, addresses, and bank account information of SSDI recipients with the IRS. This meant the government did not need you to file a tax return or contact anyone to receive the money. If you had direct deposit set up with Social Security, the stimulus went to that same account.

People who received SSI (Supplemental Security Income, a different program) were also included automatically. The IRS used Social Security's records as the primary source for both programs, which is why SSDI and SSI recipients did not have to take any steps to be included.

What to do if you did not receive a stimulus payment

The IRS created a tool called "Get My Payment" that shows whether a stimulus payment was sent to you, when it was sent, and where it went. You can access this tool on the IRS website by entering your Social Security number, date of birth, and mailing address. The tool works for all three rounds of payments.

If the tool shows a payment was sent to a bank account you no longer use, or to an old address, you may be able to claim it on your tax return for that year. The IRS has a process for this, though it requires filing a return. If you have never filed taxes, you can still file a return just to claim the stimulus payment you did not receive.

If the tool shows no payment was sent at all, contact Social Security to verify they have your correct bank account information and current address on file. Sometimes payments were not sent because Social Security's records were incomplete or outdated.

Whether stimulus payments affected your SSDI benefits

Stimulus payments did not count as income for SSDI purposes. They did not reduce your monthly benefit amount, and they did not affect whether you remained on the program. Social Security treated the payments as one-time information, not as earnings or unearned income.

The payments also did not affect your Medicare coverage if you were receiving it through SSDI. Your may be able to access and your premium amounts stayed the same.

Stimulus payments and your taxes

You did not have to report stimulus payments on your tax return, and they were not taxable income. This was true even if you normally file taxes. The payments were separate from the tax system and did not create any tax liability.

If you received a stimulus payment by mistake — for example, if someone else's payment was sent to your account — you were supposed to return it. However, the IRS did not pursue most cases of mistaken payments, especially when the error was the government's own mistake in routing.

If you received stimulus payments but think you should not have

Some people who were not SSDI recipients at the time received stimulus payments by mistake. This sometimes happened when Social Security's records were delayed or when someone had recently started or stopped receiving benefits. If this happened to you, the IRS did not automatically demand the money back.

You can contact the IRS or Social Security to report the error, but there is no requirement to do so unless you want to correct your tax records. If you are concerned about whether you should have received a payment, Social Security can tell you what your benefit status was on the date each payment was sent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a stimulus payment now if I did not receive one before?

No. The stimulus payment program ended in 2021. Payments were only available during that specific period. If you did not receive a payment you were owed, you can claim it on your tax return for the year it was supposed to be sent, but you cannot receive it as a separate payment now.

What if my stimulus check was lost in the mail?

Use the IRS's "Get My Payment" tool to see if a check was mailed to you. If it shows a check was sent but you never received it, you can file a claim with the IRS. You will need to wait a certain amount of time before filing the claim, and the IRS will investigate whether the check was cashed.

Do I have to report stimulus payments to Social Security?

No. Social Security already knew about the payments because the IRS coordinated with them. You do not need to report the money to Social Security, and it will not affect your benefits or your case file.

What if I received stimulus payments for someone else who lived with me?

Each person's stimulus payment was sent to their own account or address based on Social Security's records for that individual. If you received a payment in someone else's name, that money belongs to them. You should return it to them or contact the IRS to report the error.