SSDI recipients were included in the third stimulus payment, but only under specific conditions
The third stimulus check, authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, went to most SSDI beneficiaries who met income and filing requirements. However, not every person receiving SSDI automatically received one. The payment depended on whether you had filed a 2020 tax return, received certain other federal benefits, or had income below the threshold for that year.
The third payment was $1,400 per person. Married couples filing jointly could receive up to $2,800 if both spouses met the requirements. Dependents also may have access to, which meant families could receive additional amounts for children under 17.
Unlike the first two stimulus rounds, the third payment required the IRS to match SSDI records against tax filing data. This created a gap: if you received SSDI but did not file taxes and were not already in the IRS system from a prior payment, you might have been missed initially.
Key Takeaways
- SSDI recipients with income below $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (married filing jointly) received the full $1,400 third stimulus payment in 2021.
- The IRS used 2020 tax returns and prior stimulus payment records to identify who should receive the money; if you filed neither, you had to claim it on your 2021 tax return.
- SSDI income itself does not count toward the income limit for the third stimulus check, only earned income and certain other sources.
- If you did not receive a third payment and believe you should have, you could claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return.
How the IRS determined who received the third payment
The IRS used three main data sources to send the third stimulus check. First, it looked at your 2020 tax return if you filed one. Second, it checked records from the first two stimulus payments to identify people already in its system. Third, it used information from the Social Security Administration about SSDI and SSI recipients who had not filed taxes.
SSDI beneficiaries who had not filed a 2020 tax return and had not received prior stimulus payments were the hardest group to reach. The IRS and Social Security worked together to identify these individuals, but the process was slower and less reliable than using tax records. Some people in this group did not receive a payment automatically and had to claim it later.
If you received SSDI and the IRS had your current address on file from a prior payment or tax return, you received a check or direct deposit. If your address was outdated or missing, the payment may have been returned to the IRS, and you would need to claim it on your 2021 tax return or contact the IRS directly.
SSDI income does not reduce your stimulus payment
SSDI benefits themselves do not count as income for the purpose of the stimulus payment calculation. This is a critical distinction. The IRS looked only at earned income (wages from work), taxable interest, dividends, and certain other sources when determining whether you fell below the income threshold.
This meant that a person receiving $1,500 per month in SSDI could still receive the full $1,400 third stimulus check, as long as they had no other income above the threshold. The same rule applied to SSI recipients and people receiving both SSDI and SSI.
However, if you worked part-time or had other income sources, those amounts did count. For example, if you earned $500 per month from part-time work, that income would be considered when the IRS calculated whether you may have access to for the full payment or a reduced amount.
What happened if you did not receive a third payment
If you received SSDI in 2021 but did not get a third stimulus check, the most common reason was that the IRS did not have your address or banking information on file. This happened most often to people who had not filed a tax return in several years and had not received the first or second stimulus payments.
You could claim the missing payment as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return, even if you normally would not file. The credit was claimed on Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR, and the IRS would send you the money as a refund. This process took several weeks to several months, depending on how busy the IRS was.
If you did not file a 2021 tax return and did not claim the credit, you lost the right to the third stimulus payment. There was no way to claim it after the tax year ended. The important date to claim it on your 2021 return was April 18, 2022 (the 2021 tax filing important date).
How to check if you received the third payment
The IRS provided a tool called "Get My Payment" on its website that let you check the status of your third stimulus payment. You could enter your Social Security number, date of birth, and address to see whether a payment had been sent and where it went.
If the tool showed that a payment was sent but you never received it, the money may have been deposited to an old bank account, sent to an outdated address, or returned to the IRS. In that case, you would need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return to receive the funds.
The IRS also mailed notices to people who received stimulus payments. If you received SSDI and got a notice in the mail, it would have told you the payment amount and how it was sent. Keeping this notice was helpful if you later needed to prove to the IRS that you received the payment.
SSDI and the first two stimulus payments
The third stimulus check followed the same basic rules as the first two payments, which were sent in 2020 and 2021. SSDI recipients were included in all three rounds. However, the third payment was larger ($1,400 versus $1,200 and $600 in the prior rounds) and the income thresholds were the same.
If you received the first or second stimulus payment, you were already in the IRS system, which made it more likely you would receive the third one automatically. The IRS used your prior payment records to update your address and banking information.
Some people who missed the first or second payments but received the third one were able to claim the earlier payments on their tax returns as well. The Recovery Rebate Credit allowed you to claim any stimulus payment you did not receive, going back to the first payment in 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay back the third stimulus check if I received it?
No. The third stimulus payment was not a loan and did not have to be repaid under any circumstances. Even if your income situation changed or you later found out you were not supposed to receive it, you kept the money. The IRS did not pursue recovery of stimulus payments from individuals.
Can I claim the third stimulus check on my taxes if I did not receive it?
Yes, but only on your 2021 tax return. You would claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. The important date to claim it was April 18, 2022. If you did not file by then, you cannot claim it now.
What if I received SSDI but also worked and earned income?
Your earned income would count toward the income limit, but SSDI does not. If your total income (earned income plus other sources, but not SSDI) was below $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (married filing jointly), you received the full $1,400. Above those amounts, the payment was reduced by $5 for every $100 over the limit.
If I did not file taxes, how did the IRS know to send me a third stimulus check?
The Social Security Administration shared SSDI and SSI recipient information with the IRS. The IRS used this data to identify people who should receive a payment even if they had not filed a tax return. However, this process was not perfect, and some people were missed and had to claim the credit later.
What if I moved after receiving SSDI but before the third stimulus was sent?
If your address was outdated, the check may have been mailed to your old address and returned to the IRS. You could use the "Get My Payment" tool to check the status, or claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return. If you received the payment by direct deposit, a change of address would not have affected it.