SSDI recipients received the third stimulus check on the same schedule as other Americans, based on their tax filing status and payment method
The third stimulus payment (also called the Economic Impact Payment) went out between March and December 2021. If you receive SSDI, you did not get a separate payment schedule — you were included in the general rollout that prioritized direct deposit filers first, then paper check recipients, then prepaid debit card holders.
The IRS used your most recent tax return (2020 or 2019) to determine the payment amount and delivery method. If you filed taxes and had direct deposit set up, your payment arrived in early to mid-March 2021. If you received a paper check, it arrived later — some as late as summer or fall 2021. If you never filed taxes and the IRS had no banking information for you, you received a prepaid debit card in the mail, which took the longest.
SSDI itself did not determine timing. Your tax filing history and the IRS's records determined when you got paid.
Key Takeaways
- The third stimulus check went to SSDI recipients between March and December 2021, following the same IRS schedule as all other Americans.
- Direct deposit recipients got paid first (early to mid-March 2021), paper check recipients got paid later (through summer and fall 2021), and prepaid debit card recipients got paid last.
- The IRS used your 2020 or 2019 tax return to find you and determine your payment method — not your SSDI account.
- If you did not receive a payment by the end of 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.
How the IRS found SSDI recipients without recent tax returns
Many SSDI recipients do not file taxes because their income is below the filing threshold. The IRS had to locate these people using Social Security records. In late 2020, the IRS and Social Security Administration coordinated to identify SSDI recipients who had not filed a recent return and had no banking information on file.
For these recipients, the IRS mailed a prepaid debit card instead of a paper check. The card arrived in a plain envelope from a company called MetaBank, which handled the card program. This process was slower than direct deposit or check delivery — many cards did not arrive until May, June, or later in 2021. Some recipients never received the card at all, which is why the Recovery Rebate Credit existed as a backup.
If you received SSDI and had filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return with direct deposit information, the IRS used that banking information first. You did not have to do anything — the payment arrived automatically.
What to do if you did not receive a third stimulus payment by the end of 2021
If you did not get a payment and you were may have access to to one, you could claim the money on your 2021 tax return using Form 1040 Schedule 1, line 30 (Recovery Rebate Credit). The amount depended on your 2021 income and filing status. For most people, it was $1,400 per adult and $1,400 per dependent.
To claim the credit, you had to file a 2021 tax return even if you normally did not file. The IRS would then send you the money as a refund. This process took several months — refunds were issued through the normal tax return processing timeline, which could be 21 days or longer depending on how you filed and whether the IRS had questions about your return.
If you could not file taxes yourself, a tax preparer, community tax clinic, or legal aid organization could help you file for free. Many communities offered free tax preparation specifically for low-income filers.
Why some SSDI recipients received prepaid debit cards instead of checks or direct deposits
The prepaid debit card was the IRS's fallback method for people it could not reach through direct deposit or the mail. If you had never filed a tax return, the IRS had no banking information and no address on file. Social Security had your address, but the IRS could not automatically pull that data in 2020.
The card itself worked like a regular debit card — you could use it at ATMs, stores, and online. There were no fees to set up it or use it at most ATMs, though some out-of-network ATMs charged a fee. The card had no expiration date, so you could use it for years after receiving it.
The downside was timing. Mailing prepaid cards to millions of people took months. Some recipients reported not receiving cards until late summer 2021, and some never received them at all. If your card was lost or stolen in the mail, you had to contact MetaBank to request a replacement, which added more delay.
SSDI and the third stimulus: no special rules or delays
SSDI recipients were not treated differently from other Americans for the third stimulus payment. There was no separate SSDI payment schedule, no requirement to report the payment to Social Security, and no impact on your SSDI benefits or SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits.
The stimulus money was not counted as income for purposes of SSDI or SSI. It did not reduce your monthly benefit, and you did not have to report it to Social Security. This was true even if you received SSI, which has strict income and resource limits — the stimulus check was explicitly excluded from those limits.
The only reason an SSDI recipient might have received a payment later than other Americans was if the IRS had incomplete information on file — not because of SSDI itself.
Tracking your third stimulus payment if you never received it
The IRS's "Get My Payment" tool was available through 2021 to check the status of your third stimulus payment. That tool is no longer active, but you can still see payment records by logging into your IRS account at IRS.gov or by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.
If you call, have your Social Security number, filing status, and expected payment amount ready. The IRS can tell you whether a payment was issued, what method was used (direct deposit, check, or debit card), and the date it was sent. If a check was issued but never cashed, the IRS can issue a replacement. If a debit card was mailed but never arrived, you can request a replacement from MetaBank.
Keep in mind that IRS phone lines are often busy, especially during tax season (January through April). Calling in the summer or fall may get you through faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did receiving SSDI delay my third stimulus check?
No. SSDI recipients were on the same payment schedule as everyone else. Delays happened because of tax filing status and payment method (direct deposit, check, or debit card), not because of SSDI. If you received your check late, it was because the IRS mailed it to you or because you received a prepaid debit card, which took longer to deliver.
Did the third stimulus check count as income and reduce my SSDI benefits?
No. The stimulus payment was excluded from income calculations for both SSDI and SSI. Your monthly benefit was not reduced, and you did not have to report the payment to Social Security. The same rule applied to all three stimulus payments.
What if I lost my prepaid debit card in the mail?
You could contact MetaBank to report the card lost or stolen and request a replacement. You could also claim the amount on your 2021 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit. Either way, you would eventually receive the money, though the tax return route took longer.
Can I still get the third stimulus payment now if I missed it in 2021?
Only if you did not claim it on your 2021 tax return. If you filed a 2021 return and claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit, you received the payment as part of your refund. If you never filed a 2021 return, you can file one now to claim the credit, though the IRS may have questions about why you are filing late.
Where do I find my third stimulus payment if I think it was deposited to the wrong account?
Log into your IRS account at IRS.gov or call 1-800-829-1040 to see which account the payment was sent to. If it went to a closed account or an account that is not yours, contact your bank — they can tell you whether the deposit was rejected or returned to the IRS. The IRS can then reissue the payment to a correct account or as a check.