No Fourth Stimulus Payment Was Issued

There is no fourth stimulus check. The federal government issued three rounds of Economic Impact Payments during the COVID-19 pandemic: in 2020, 2021, and 2021. Congress did not authorize a fourth payment, and none has been distributed. SSDI recipients who received the first three payments were included in those rounds, but no additional stimulus money has been sent since the third payment in December 2021.

If you received a notice or saw an advertisement claiming you could get a fourth stimulus check, it was either outdated information or a scam. The IRS does not send unsolicited notices about stimulus payments, and no government agency is currently processing new stimulus claims.

Key Takeaways

  • Three stimulus payments were issued between March 2020 and December 2021; no fourth payment has been authorized or sent.
  • SSDI recipients were automatically included in all three rounds if they had a Social Security number and met income limits.
  • Scammers sometimes advertise fake fourth stimulus checks to steal personal information or money from vulnerable people.
  • If you did not receive one of the three payments you were owed, you could claim it on your 2021 or 2022 tax return, but that window has closed.

Who Received the Three Stimulus Payments

SSDI recipients were treated the same as other Social Security beneficiaries across all three rounds. You did not have to file a tax return or take any action—the Social Security Administration automatically sent your payment information to the IRS, and the money was deposited into the account on file with Social Security or mailed as a check.

The first payment (March 2020) was $1,200 per adult. The second (January 2021) was $600 per adult. The third (March 2021) was $1,400 per adult. If you had a dependent child, you received an additional amount per child in the second and third rounds. Income limits applied: in 2021, payments began to reduce for single filers earning over $75,000 and phased out completely at $100,000.

Because SSDI is a needs-based program with strict income and resource limits, most SSDI recipients fell well below the income thresholds and received the full amount in each round.

Why Congress Did Not Authorize a Fourth Payment

The three stimulus payments were passed as emergency measures during the acute phase of the pandemic recession. By late 2021, when the third payment was made, the labor market had recovered significantly, unemployment had fallen, and Congress shifted focus to other priorities. No fourth payment was proposed in any major legislation after that point.

Stimulus payments are not a regular feature of the Social Security or disability system. They were temporary responses to a specific crisis. Once that crisis phase ended, the political will to send additional payments did not materialize, even as inflation rose in 2022 and 2023.

Scams Claiming to Offer a Fourth Stimulus Check

Scammers have repeatedly used the promise of a fourth stimulus check to target SSDI recipients and other vulnerable groups. These scams typically arrive as text messages, emails, or social media ads claiming you can "claim" or "unlock" a fourth payment by clicking a link or providing personal information.

The IRS and Social Security Administration do not contact people unsolicited about stimulus payments. If you see an ad or message offering a fourth stimulus check, do not click the link or provide any information. These schemes are designed to steal your Social Security number, bank account details, or money.

If you received a suspicious message, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

What Happened to People Who Missed the First Three Payments

If you did not receive one or more of the three stimulus payments you were owed, the IRS allowed you to claim the missing amount on your 2021 tax return (for the first two payments) or your 2022 tax return (for all three). This was called the Recovery Rebate Credit.

That window has now closed. The 2022 tax year important date passed on April 18, 2023. If you did not file a return and claim the credit by then, you cannot recover that money. The IRS does not reopen this process or make exceptions.

If you filed a 2022 return and claimed the credit but have not received the refund, you can check the status using the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool at irs.gov, or call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.

How Stimulus Payments Affected SSDI and Other Benefits

The stimulus payments did not count as income for purposes of SSDI, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare, or Medicaid. This was a deliberate policy choice—Congress wanted the money to reach people without triggering benefit reductions or resource limits.

However, if you received a stimulus payment and deposited it into a bank account, it could affect your SSI resource limit if you have SSI in addition to SSDI. SSI has a $2,000 resource limit for individuals. If your total resources exceeded that limit, your SSI payment could be reduced or stopped. SSDI has no resource limit, so stimulus payments never affected SSDI itself.

If you have SSI and are concerned about how a past stimulus payment affected your case, contact your local Social Security office to review your resource history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Could a fourth stimulus check be issued in the future?

Congress would have to pass new legislation to authorize another stimulus payment. There is no current proposal to do so. Any future stimulus would depend on economic conditions and political agreement that another emergency payment is necessary.

If I missed the first three payments, can I still get the money?

No. The important date to claim missed payments on your tax return was April 18, 2023. If you did not file by then, you cannot recover the money through the IRS. Contact your local Social Security office to verify whether you actually received the payments—some people believe they missed a payment when it was actually deposited into an old or closed account.

Is the message I received about a fourth stimulus check real?

Almost certainly not. The IRS and Social Security Administration do not send unsolicited messages about stimulus payments. If a message asks you to click a link, verify information, or pay a fee to unlock a payment, it is a scam. Do not respond or provide any information.

Do I have to report stimulus payments on my taxes?

No. Stimulus payments are not taxable income and do not have to be reported on your tax return. If you received a Form 1099 or other document related to a stimulus payment, you can disregard it.