The third stimulus payment went to SSDI recipients on the same schedule as everyone else

The third stimulus check — formally called the American Rescue Plan Economic Impact Payment — was distributed starting in March 2021. People receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) did not receive payments on a separate timeline. The IRS sent payments in waves based on income and filing status, and SSDI recipients were included in those same waves.

If you were on SSDI in March 2021, you were treated like any other Social Security beneficiary. The IRS did not need you to file a tax return or take any action to receive the payment. It went to the bank account or address on file with Social Security, just as your regular SSDI deposit does.

The payment amount was $1,400 per person for most recipients. Dependents also received $1,400 each. If your income was above certain thresholds, the payment was reduced or did not arrive.

Key Takeaways

  • The third stimulus payment was sent to SSDI recipients starting in March 2021 using the same distribution schedule as all other beneficiaries.
  • You did not need to take any action, file taxes, or contact Social Security to receive the payment if you were on SSDI.
  • The payment went to whichever bank account or mailing address Social Security had on record for you.
  • If you did not receive a payment by mid-2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit.

How the IRS identified SSDI recipients

The IRS already had records linking Social Security numbers to SSDI status through the Social Security Administration. When the third stimulus was authorized in March 2021, the IRS used those records to identify who was receiving SSDI and automatically sent payments without requiring any process or verification step.

This meant the IRS did not send notices asking SSDI recipients to confirm their status or provide additional information. If you were receiving SSDI benefits in early 2021, the payment was processed based on what Social Security already knew about you.

The payment schedule and deposit timing

The IRS released the third stimulus in multiple waves between March and December 2021. The first wave began March 12, 2021, and subsequent waves continued throughout the spring and summer. The exact date your payment arrived depended on when the IRS processed your information and which financial institution held your account.

Most SSDI recipients who had direct deposit set up received payments within one to three weeks of the IRS releasing their batch. Those receiving payments by paper check waited longer — typically four to six weeks from the release date. If you had not updated your bank account information with Social Security, your payment went to the address on file, which could have been outdated.

What to do if you did not receive the third stimulus

If you were on SSDI in March 2021 but did not receive a third stimulus payment by the end of that year, the payment may have been sent to an old address, held up by a bank error, or lost in the mail. You had the right to claim the missing payment on your 2021 federal tax return using Form 1040 and the Recovery Rebate Credit worksheet.

To claim the payment, you needed to file a 2021 tax return even if you normally did not file one. The IRS would then issue the payment as a refund. This process took several months — typically four to six months after filing — because the IRS had to verify that you had not already received the payment under a different name or Social Security number.

If you did not file a 2021 return and did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, you could no longer claim that payment. The important date to claim it has passed.

Income limits that reduced or eliminated payments

The third stimulus payment was reduced if your 2020 income exceeded certain thresholds. For single filers, the payment began to phase out at $75,000 in adjusted gross income and reached zero at $80,000. For married couples filing jointly, the phase-out started at $150,000 and ended at $160,000.

SSDI income counts toward these thresholds. If you had SSDI income plus other income — from work, investments, or other sources — your combined income determined whether your payment was reduced. The IRS used your 2020 tax return to calculate this, or your 2019 return if you had not filed taxes for 2020.

Dependents and the third stimulus

If you were on SSDI and claimed dependents on your tax return, each dependent received $1,400 in addition to your own payment. Dependents had to be under age 17 at the end of 2020 to count for the third stimulus, and they had to have a valid Social Security number.

Adult dependents — including adult children with disabilities — did not receive separate payments. Only the primary beneficiary and may have access to children under 17 received the $1,400 per person amount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did I have to report the stimulus payment to Social Security?

No. The third stimulus payment was not counted as income for SSDI purposes. It did not affect your monthly benefit amount, and you did not need to report it to Social Security. The payment was treated as a one-time economic relief measure, not as earnings or unearned income.

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

If you received a payment and later discovered you were not on SSDI in March 2021 or your income was above the limit, you were not required to return it. The IRS did not pursue recovery of third stimulus payments from individuals who received them in error.

Can I still get the third stimulus if I missed it?

Only if you filed a 2021 tax return and claimed the Recovery Rebate Credit before the filing important date. That important date has now passed, and you can no longer claim the third stimulus payment.

Did the third stimulus affect my SSI or other benefits?

The third stimulus did not count as income for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SSDI, or other means-tested benefits. It was excluded from resource limits as well, so receiving it did not put you over any asset thresholds.