SSDI recipients got the third stimulus check automatically if they filed taxes or received benefits in 2020

The third stimulus payment—$1,400 per adult and $1,400 per dependent—went out starting in March 2021. If you received SSDI in 2020 or filed a 2020 tax return, the IRS sent your payment automatically to the bank account on file with Social Security or the IRS. You did not have to do anything to receive it. Most SSDI recipients got their third payment between March and May 2021, though some arrived as late as December 2021.

The payment came from the American Rescue Plan Act, passed by Congress in March 2021. The IRS used existing records—your SSDI account with Social Security Administration, your tax return, or your Veterans benefits file—to identify who may have access to and where to send the money. If you were on SSDI in 2020, you were automatically included, even if you had not filed taxes that year.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received the third stimulus check automatically between March and December 2021 if they were on benefits in 2020 or had filed a 2020 tax return.
  • The payment went to the same bank account Social Security or the IRS had on file, so you did not need to provide new banking information unless your account had changed.
  • If you did not receive your payment by the end of 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.
  • The third stimulus check was not counted as income for SSDI purposes and did not reduce your monthly benefit amount.

How the IRS identified SSDI recipients for the third payment

The IRS matched records from the Social Security Administration against its own tax database. If you were receiving SSDI in 2020, Social Security sent the IRS a list of your name, address, and the bank account where your benefits were deposited. The IRS used that account information to send your stimulus payment directly.

If you had filed a 2020 tax return, the IRS used the bank account from that return instead. This meant the payment went to whichever account the IRS had most recently on file. If you had changed banks between 2020 and March 2021, your old account information might have been used, which could have delayed your payment or sent it to a closed account.

Timeline for when payments arrived

The IRS began sending third stimulus payments on March 12, 2021. Payments sent by direct deposit typically arrived within one to three business days of the IRS release date. The IRS released payments in batches throughout March, April, and May 2021, so the exact date you received yours depended on when your batch was processed.

Paper checks were mailed starting in mid-March 2021 and took longer—typically two to three weeks from the mailing date to arrive. Some recipients did not receive their payment until June, July, or even later in 2021. A small number of payments were still being processed and sent out in December 2021, usually because of address or banking information issues.

What to do if you never received your third stimulus payment

If you did not receive your payment by the end of 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return. The IRS called this the Recovery Rebate Credit. You would file your 2021 return and claim the credit for any stimulus payments you did not receive—$1,400 for yourself, plus $1,400 for each dependent.

To claim the credit, you needed to file a 2021 tax return even if you normally did not file. You could file for free using IRS Free File or through a tax preparation service. The IRS processed Recovery Rebate Credit claims through the normal tax return process, which meant your refund would be delayed if you were also claiming other credits or deductions.

If you were unable to file a tax return, you could contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 to report that you did not receive your payment. The IRS could then investigate and issue a payment or credit to your account. This process took several weeks.

How the third stimulus affected your SSDI benefits

The third stimulus payment was not counted as income for SSDI purposes. Social Security did not reduce your monthly benefit because you received the stimulus check. The payment did not affect your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits either, as long as you spent or gave away the money within a certain timeframe—typically within nine months for SSI recipients, though rules varied by state.

If you received SSI and did not spend the stimulus money within the allowed period, it could have been counted as a resource and affected your SSI may be able to access. SSDI recipients did not face this restriction. The stimulus check was treated as a one-time payment, not ongoing income, so it had no effect on future benefit calculations.

If your payment went to a closed or wrong bank account

If the IRS sent your payment to a bank account you no longer used, the bank would typically reject it and return it to the IRS. The IRS would then issue a paper check to your address on file. This process took four to six weeks, which is why some recipients did not receive their payment until May or June 2021.

If you moved between 2020 and March 2021 and did not update your address with Social Security or the IRS, your payment might have been mailed to your old address. You could contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to report a change of address and request that your payment be reissued to your current address.

If your payment was deposited into an account that was later frozen or closed by the bank, you would need to contact that bank to ask whether the deposit was processed before the account closure. If it was processed, the bank should have the funds. If the account was closed before the deposit arrived, the bank would have returned the payment to the IRS, and you would need to claim it as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the third stimulus check count as income for SSDI?

No. The third stimulus payment was not counted as income for SSDI purposes and did not reduce your monthly benefit. If you received SSI instead of SSDI, the payment could have affected your SSI may be able to access if you did not spend it within nine months, depending on your state's rules.

What if I was not on SSDI in 2020 but started receiving it in 2021?

If you were not receiving SSDI or any other federal benefits in 2020 and did not file a 2020 tax return, you would not have received the third stimulus payment automatically. You could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit if you filed.

Can I track where my third stimulus payment went?

The IRS had a tool called "Get My Payment" that let you check the status of your stimulus payments, but that tool is no longer active. If you need to know whether your payment was sent and where, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 with your Social Security number and address on file.

What if I received the third stimulus but I was not supposed to?

You do not have to repay the third stimulus payment. Congress made these payments non-recoverable, meaning the IRS cannot ask you to return them even if there was an error in determining who should receive one.