SSDI and the Second Stimulus Check

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients were included in the second stimulus payment, which the federal government distributed in December 2020 and early 2021. The payment was $600 per person for most people, though some households received more if they had dependent children. If you received SSDI during that time and did not get a second stimulus check, the reasons and next steps depend on when you filed your taxes and how the Social Security Administration had your information on record.

The second stimulus was not a separate SSDI benefit—it was a one-time economic impact payment funded by Congress. The IRS and Social Security worked together to identify who should receive it, using tax returns and Social Security records. Most SSDI recipients received the payment automatically without having to do anything, but some had to take action to claim it.

Key Takeaways

  • The second stimulus check of $600 was distributed between December 2020 and early 2021 to SSDI recipients and most other adults.
  • If you did not receive a second stimulus payment, you may have been able to claim it on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit.
  • The important date to claim the second stimulus on your 2020 taxes was April 15, 2021, but you could file an amended return after that date.
  • You can check the status of any stimulus payment you may have missed by using the IRS's Get My Payment tool or contacting the IRS directly.

Who Received the Second Stimulus Automatically

The IRS sent the second stimulus check automatically to people who filed a 2019 tax return or a 2020 tax return before the payments began in December 2020. SSDI recipients who had filed taxes in either of those years and had a valid address on file with the IRS typically received their $600 payment by direct deposit or by mail, depending on how they normally receive benefits.

If you received SSI (Supplemental Security Income) instead of SSDI, you were also included in the second stimulus. The two programs use different funding and have different rules, but both groups were treated the same way for stimulus payments. The IRS used Social Security's records to identify people in both programs and cross-referenced them with tax filing records to avoid sending duplicate payments.

Why Some SSDI Recipients Did Not Receive a Check

Some SSDI recipients did not receive a second stimulus payment automatically because the IRS did not have their current address or banking information on file. This happened most often to people who had not filed a tax return in 2019 or 2020, or whose address had changed since their last return. If the IRS could not deliver the payment, it did not automatically go to Social Security to be added to your benefit payment.

Another reason for non-receipt was a mismatch between the name or Social Security number on the IRS records and the Social Security Administration's records. This was rare but could happen if someone had recently changed their name or if there was a clerical error in one of the databases. If you believe this happened to you, the IRS's Get My Payment tool can show you the status of your payment and the address where it was sent.

How to Claim a Missed Second Stimulus Payment

If you did not receive your second stimulus check, you could claim it on your 2020 federal income tax return by filing for the Recovery Rebate Credit. This credit allowed you to claim $600 per person (or $1,200 per couple, plus $500 per dependent child) that you did not receive. You would file your 2020 return with this credit claimed, and the IRS would send you the difference between what you were owed and what you had already received.

The original important date to claim the second stimulus on your 2020 return was April 15, 2021. However, if you missed that important date, you could still file an amended 2020 return (Form 1040-X) to claim the credit. There is no time limit on amended returns for unclaimed credits, so you could file one years later if you had not yet claimed the second stimulus.

To claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, you needed to file a tax return even if you normally did not have to file one. SSDI recipients with income below the filing threshold could still file a return just to claim this credit. If you are unsure whether you filed a 2020 return or claimed this credit, you can contact the IRS or check your tax records from that year.

Checking the Status of Your Second Stimulus Payment

The IRS created a tool called Get My Payment to let people check whether their stimulus payments were sent and where they went. You can use this tool by visiting the IRS website and entering your Social Security number, date of birth, and mailing address. The tool will tell you whether a payment was issued, the amount, the date it was sent, and the method of delivery (direct deposit, check, or debit card).

If Get My Payment shows that a check was mailed to an address you no longer use, or if it shows no payment was issued at all, you have options. If the check was lost or never arrived, you could request a replacement check from the IRS, though this process took several weeks. If no payment was issued, the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return was the way to claim the money you were owed.

What Happened If You Moved After the Payment Was Sent

If you moved after December 2020 but before the second stimulus check arrived at your old address, the check may have been returned to the IRS as undeliverable. The IRS did not automatically forward stimulus checks to new addresses, even if you had filed a change of address with the postal service. If this happened, the IRS held the payment and you had to claim it through the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return.

If you received the second stimulus by direct deposit, a change of address did not matter—the money went into your bank account regardless of where you were living. Direct deposit was the fastest and most reliable way to receive stimulus payments, which is why the IRS prioritized sending payments that way when it had banking information on file.

The Difference Between the Second and Third Stimulus Checks

A third stimulus payment of $1,400 per person was distributed beginning in March 2021. This was a separate payment from the second stimulus, and the rules for who received it were similar but not identical. SSDI recipients were included in the third stimulus as well, and most received it automatically if they had filed a 2020 tax return or had information on file with Social Security.

If you received the second stimulus but not the third, or vice versa, the reasons could be different for each payment. The IRS used updated information for each round, so a change in your address or filing status between December 2020 and March 2021 could have affected whether you received the third payment. You could claim any missed third stimulus payment using the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still claim the second stimulus if it has been years since 2021?

Yes. You can file an amended 2020 tax return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for the second stimulus at any time. There is no important date for amended returns claiming unclaimed credits. Contact a tax preparer or the IRS if you need help filing the amended return.

What if I received SSDI but the stimulus was sent to my old address?

If a check was mailed to an old address and never reached you, you could request a replacement check from the IRS, though this took several weeks. The easier route was to claim the credit on your 2020 tax return. If the check was cashed by someone else, contact the IRS when ready.

Do I have to file taxes to claim the second stimulus if I did not work?

No, but you had to file a return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if you did not receive the payment automatically. SSDI income does not count as taxable income, so you would file a return with little or no income reported, claiming only the credit.

If I got the second stimulus, do I have to pay it back?

No. Stimulus payments were not loans and did not have to be repaid. They did not affect your SSDI benefits or count as income for purposes of means-tested programs.

How do I know if I already claimed the second stimulus on my taxes?

Check your 2020 tax return or a copy of it from the IRS. Look for the Recovery Rebate Credit line on Form 1040. If you filed through a tax preparer, they can also tell you whether you claimed it.