The Third Stimulus Check Was Distributed in 2021

The third round of Economic Impact Payments (the third stimulus check) went out between March and December 2021. The IRS sent payments to SSDI recipients automatically if they had filed a 2020 tax return or were already in the Social Security system. Most SSDI recipients received their $1,400 payment without having to take any action.

If you received SSDI in 2021 and did not get a third stimulus payment, or if you received less than $1,400, the issue was usually one of a few specific problems: the IRS had an outdated address on file, your payment was offset to cover a debt, or there was a mismatch between your Social Security record and your tax record. These situations required different steps to resolve, and most had important date that have now passed.

Because the third stimulus round ended in 2021, there are no new third payments being sent today. If you are looking for current information about stimulus payments, you may want to check whether any fourth round has been announced, though as of now no additional federal stimulus payments have been authorized.

Key Takeaways

  • The third stimulus payment of $1,400 was sent between March and December 2021 and is not being distributed anymore.
  • Most SSDI recipients received the payment automatically through Social Security or the IRS without filing anything.
  • If you did not receive a third payment in 2021, you could have filed a claim on your 2021 tax return, but that important date has passed.
  • No fourth stimulus payment has been authorized by Congress, so there is no current stimulus round in progress.

Who Received the Third Payment Automatically

The IRS sent third stimulus payments directly to people who were already receiving SSDI benefits as of the payment run dates in 2021. You did not have to file a tax return or contact Social Security. The payment went to the bank account or address on file with either the IRS or Social Security, whichever had more recent information.

Payments were sent in waves. The first batch went out in mid-March 2021, with additional batches following through the summer and into December. If you were on SSDI throughout 2021, you should have received your $1,400 during one of these windows unless one of the barriers below applied to your case.

Why Some SSDI Recipients Did Not Receive a Third Payment

The most common reason an SSDI recipient did not receive a third stimulus payment was that the IRS had an outdated mailing address or bank account on file. If the IRS tried to send a check to an old address and it was returned, or if direct deposit information was wrong, the payment could have been held or returned to the Treasury.

A second reason was offset for federal debt. If you owed money to the federal government—for example, back taxes, a federal student loan in default, or an overpayment of benefits—the IRS could have intercepted your stimulus payment to cover that debt. This happened automatically and you would have received a notice from the Treasury Offset Program explaining the offset.

A third reason was a mismatch between your Social Security record and your tax record. If the IRS could not confirm you were alive or could not match your name and Social Security number to a valid record, the payment was delayed or held for manual review. This was more common for people who had not filed a tax return in several years.

What You Could Have Done in 2021 to Claim a Missing Payment

If you did not receive a third stimulus payment by the end of 2021, you could have claimed it on your 2021 tax return using IRS Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR. The form included a line for the Recovery Rebate Credit, which let you report the payment you should have received and claim the difference if you received less than $1,400.

To use this method, you would have needed to file your 2021 tax return with the IRS. The important date to file was April 18, 2022 (or October 18, 2022 if you requested an extension). If you filed after that date, the IRS could still process your return, but you would not receive interest on the delayed payment and any offset for federal debt would still explore.

That important date has now passed. If you did not file a 2021 tax return and did not receive a third stimulus payment, you cannot claim it through the tax system anymore. Your only option at this point would be to contact the IRS directly to ask whether your payment was offset or returned, though recovery of an offset payment is not usually possible.

How to Check the Status of a Third Payment You May Have Received

If you received a third stimulus payment in 2021 but are not sure whether it was the full $1,400, you can verify the amount by checking your IRS account online. Go to IRS.gov and use the "Get Transcript" tool to request your 2021 tax transcript. The transcript will show any stimulus payments the IRS recorded as sent to you.

You can also call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to ask about your third stimulus payment. Have your Social Security number and tax return information ready. The IRS can tell you whether a payment was sent, the date it was sent, the amount, and whether it was offset for any reason.

If you received a payment but it was offset, the notice you received from the Treasury Offset Program will explain what debt it was applied to. You can contact that agency directly to ask about payment plans or dispute the debt if you believe the offset was wrong.

Current Stimulus Payment Status and Future Rounds

As of now, no fourth stimulus payment has been authorized by Congress. There is no current stimulus round in progress, and no announcement has been made about future payments. Stimulus payments are not a regular feature of the federal budget—they are emergency measures passed during specific crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

If Congress does authorize another round of stimulus payments in the future, SSDI recipients would likely receive them the same way they received the first three: automatically through Social Security or the IRS, without having to file anything. Any announcement would come from the IRS or Social Security Administration, not from private websites or email.

Be cautious of emails, texts, or calls claiming to offer you a stimulus payment or asking you to verify information to "unlock" a payment. These are usually scams. The IRS and Social Security do not contact people first to offer payments—they send payments directly to the accounts or addresses on file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still get the third stimulus payment if I didn't receive it in 2021?

No. The important date to claim it through your 2021 tax return was April 18, 2022. If you did not file by then, you cannot claim the third payment anymore. If it was offset for federal debt, you cannot recover it through the IRS.

What if I received the third payment but it was less than $1,400?

You could have claimed the difference on your 2021 tax return. If you did not file, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to ask why you received a reduced amount. They can tell you whether it was offset or if there was an error in your record.

Is there a fourth stimulus payment coming?

No fourth stimulus payment has been authorized. Congress would have to pass new legislation to create one. If that happens, the IRS and Social Security will announce it publicly, and SSDI recipients will receive payments automatically.

What if I think my third payment was sent to the wrong address?

Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and ask them to check the address they have on file. If it was wrong, they can tell you whether the payment was returned. You cannot get a replacement check for a payment sent in 2021, but you could have claimed it on your 2021 tax return.

How do I know if my third payment was offset for debt?

You would have received a notice from the Treasury Offset Program in the mail. If you received a third stimulus payment but it was less than $1,400, the difference was likely offset. Call the agency that holds the debt to ask about payment plans or dispute options.