The Second Stimulus Payment Went Out in Two Waves During January 2021
The second economic impact payment — the $600 check authorized by Congress in December 2020 — began depositing to SSDI recipients' bank accounts on January 4, 2021. The IRS and Treasury Department processed most payments within the first two weeks of January, though some accounts received deposits as late as mid-January depending on their bank's processing speed.
If you received SSDI or SSI (Supplemental Security Income) in November or December 2020, you were automatically sent a payment without having to take any action. The IRS used the same banking information on file from your Social Security account, so the deposit went to whichever account Social Security had listed for your regular benefit payments.
This was different from the first stimulus payment in 2020, which had a staggered rollout over several weeks. The second payment moved faster because the IRS had already verified SSDI and SSI recipient information during the first round.
Key Takeaways
- The second stimulus payment of $600 per person began depositing on January 4, 2021, and most SSDI recipients received it within two weeks.
- No action was required — the IRS automatically sent the payment to the bank account linked to your Social Security record.
- If you did not receive a deposit by late January 2021, the payment may have been mailed as a paper check or required a tax return filing to process.
- The payment amount was $600 for each adult SSDI recipient and $600 for each dependent child claimed on a tax return.
Why Some SSDI Recipients Received Paper Checks Instead
Not every SSDI recipient had a bank account on file with Social Security. If your account had no direct deposit information, the IRS mailed a paper check to your address of record. These checks began arriving in mid-January 2021 and continued through February and March, depending on postal delivery times and your location.
Paper checks took longer to arrive than electronic deposits — typically two to four weeks from the mailing date. If you were expecting a check and did not receive one by late February, it may have been lost in the mail, and you would have needed to contact the IRS directly to request a replacement or trace the payment.
What Happened If You Moved or Changed Your Bank Account
If you had changed your bank account or address after November 2020 but before the payment was processed, the IRS used the information Social Security had on file at the time of the payment run. Deposits went to the old account or checks went to the old address.
If a deposit landed in a closed account, your bank typically returned it to the IRS within a few days. The IRS would then reissue the payment as a paper check to your address of record. This process added two to four weeks to the timeline.
If you moved and did not update your address with Social Security before January 2021, a mailed check would have gone to your old address. You could have contacted the IRS or filed a tax return to claim the payment if you did not receive it.
Dependent Children and Additional Payments
The second stimulus payment included $600 for each dependent child under age 17 claimed on a tax return. SSDI recipients who had dependent children received the additional amount automatically if the IRS had tax return information showing those dependents.
However, if you had not filed a tax return for 2019 or 2020, the IRS might not have had information about your dependents. In that case, you could have filed a 2020 tax return to claim the dependent payments, even if you normally did not owe taxes. The important date to claim these payments on a tax return was April 15, 2021.
How to Check the Status of a Second Stimulus Payment
The IRS provided a "Get My Payment" tool on its website where you could enter your Social Security number, date of birth, and address to see the payment status and deposit date. This tool remained available for several months after the initial payment run.
If the tool showed that a payment was sent but you never received it, you had several options. You could file a 2020 tax return and claim the payment as a recovery rebate credit, contact the IRS directly by phone, or wait for a paper check if one was still in transit.
SSDI recipients who received the payment but believed the amount was incorrect — for example, if dependent children were not included — could also file a tax return to claim the difference as a recovery rebate credit.
Timeline for the Second Stimulus Payment
| Date or Period | What Happened |
|---|---|
| December 27, 2020 | Congress authorized the $600 payment; IRS began processing SSDI and SSI records. |
| January 4–17, 2021 | Direct deposits to SSDI recipients' bank accounts; most payments completed by January 15. |
| Mid-January to March 2021 | Paper checks mailed and delivered to recipients without direct deposit on file. |
| April 15, 2021 | important date to file a 2020 tax return to claim the payment or dependent amounts. |
What to Do If You Never Received the Second Stimulus Payment
If you were an SSDI recipient in November or December 2020 but never received a $600 payment by April 2021, the most direct step was to file a 2020 tax return. On that return, you could claim the payment as a recovery rebate credit, which would either reduce your tax liability or increase your refund.
You did not need to have earned income or normally file taxes to claim this credit. The IRS accepted returns from SSDI recipients specifically to recover stimulus payments that were not delivered. If you needed help filing, you could contact a local tax preparation service or the IRS directly.
If you had already filed a 2020 return without claiming the recovery rebate credit, you could file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to add the credit. The important date to amend was generally three years from the original return due date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did SSDI recipients have to do anything to get the second stimulus payment?
No. If you received SSDI or SSI in November or December 2020, the IRS automatically sent the payment using the bank account or address on file with Social Security. You did not need to contact anyone or submit paperwork.
What if I received SSI instead of SSDI — did I get the second stimulus payment?
Yes. SSI recipients were treated the same as SSDI recipients. If you were receiving SSI in November or December 2020, you received a $600 payment automatically, either by direct deposit or paper check.
Could I get the second stimulus payment if I was not receiving SSDI in December 2020?
If you were not receiving SSDI or SSI in November or December 2020, you could still claim the payment on a 2020 tax return as a recovery rebate credit, provided your income was below the threshold limits. The IRS used tax return information to identify people who were not on the automatic payment list.
What if my bank account was closed when the deposit arrived?
Your bank would have returned the deposit to the IRS, which then reissued the payment as a paper check to your address of record. This added two to four weeks to the delivery time. If you did not receive the check, you could claim the payment on a tax return.
How much was the second stimulus payment for SSDI recipients with children?
The payment was $600 per adult plus $600 for each dependent child under age 17 claimed on a tax return. If you had dependent children but the IRS did not have that information, you could file a 2020 tax return to claim the additional $600 per child.