SSDI recipients got the third stimulus check on the same schedule as other Social Security beneficiaries, with most payments arriving between March and May 2021

The third stimulus payment, authorized under the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, went to SSDI recipients automatically if the Social Security Administration already had their banking information on file. You did not have to take any action to receive it. The payment amount was $1,400 per person, with additional $1,400 payments for each dependent child claimed on a tax return.

The Social Security Administration processed SSDI payments in batches based on birth date. If you received SSDI benefits, your payment arrived during one of these windows: March 17 to March 26, 2021 for people born January through March; March 29 to April 7, 2021 for people born April through June; April 7 to April 16, 2021 for people born July through September; and April 19 to April 28, 2021 for people born October through December. A final batch went out May 5 to May 12, 2021 for anyone whose payment had been delayed.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received the third stimulus payment automatically between March and May 2021 if Social Security had their direct deposit information.
  • The payment amount was $1,400 per person, plus $1,400 for each dependent child on your tax return.
  • Payments were sent to the same bank account where you received your regular SSDI deposit.
  • If you did not receive your payment by May 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a recovery rebate credit.

How the payment was sent to SSDI recipients

The Social Security Administration used the direct deposit account linked to your SSDI benefits. This meant the payment went to the same bank account where you normally received your monthly SSDI check. You did not need to provide banking information again or contact Social Security to update your account.

If you received SSDI but had never set up direct deposit, Social Security mailed a paper check to your address on file. Paper checks took longer to arrive — typically one to two weeks after the scheduled payment date for your birth month. Some recipients also received a debit card loaded with the stimulus funds if they had previously received benefits on a debit card account.

What to do if you did not receive the third stimulus payment

If your payment did not arrive by the end of May 2021, the first step was to check your bank account and mail carefully. Payments sometimes arrived a few days after the scheduled window, and paper checks could take longer. You could also contact Social Security directly at 1-800-772-1213 to confirm whether the payment had been processed and sent.

If Social Security confirmed the payment was sent but you never received it, you had the option to claim it on your 2021 tax return. The IRS called this the recovery rebate credit. You would file your 2021 taxes (or amend a return you had already filed) and claim the $1,400 as a credit. This process recovered the payment through your tax refund rather than receiving it as a direct deposit or check.

Stimulus payments and SSDI benefit amounts

The third stimulus payment did not reduce your SSDI benefits. Social Security treated stimulus payments as one-time federal payments, not as income that would affect your monthly benefit calculation. Your SSDI amount stayed the same before and after you received the stimulus check.

The payment also did not count toward the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) resource limit for the first nine months after you received it. This meant that if you received both SSDI and SSI, the stimulus money would not when ready disqualify you from SSI based on having too many resources. However, SSI rules required you to spend down the stimulus funds by December 31, 2021, or your SSI benefits would be affected in 2022. SSDI recipients who did not receive SSI had no resource limits and could keep the stimulus payment without any effect on benefits.

Dependent children and the third stimulus payment

SSDI recipients received an additional $1,400 for each dependent child under age 17 claimed on a 2020 tax return. Social Security used the IRS tax data to identify dependents, so you did not have to report children separately. If you had claimed a child on your taxes, the payment for that child was included in your stimulus deposit automatically.

If you had a child born in 2020 or adopted a child after your 2020 tax return was filed, you could claim that child on your 2021 tax return and receive the $1,400 payment through the recovery rebate credit process. The same applied if your custody or dependent status changed between 2020 and 2021.

Stimulus payments and representative payees

If a representative payee managed your SSDI benefits, the third stimulus payment went to the payee's bank account or address, not to you directly. A representative payee is a person or organization appointed by Social Security to receive and manage benefits on behalf of someone who cannot manage them independently.

The payee was legally required to use the stimulus funds for your current maintenance, care, or other needs. If you believed the payee did not use the money correctly, you could contact Social Security's Office of Inspector General or ask Social Security to investigate. You could also request a change of payee if you wanted someone else to manage your benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did SSDI recipients have to do anything to get the third stimulus check?

No. If you received SSDI and Social Security had your direct deposit information, the payment was sent automatically. You did not need to contact Social Security, file a form, or take any action. The only exception was if you had never set up direct deposit — in that case, Social Security mailed a paper check instead.

What if I was in a representative payee situation — did I get the stimulus money?

Yes, but it went to your payee's account or address, not yours. The payee was required to use it for your needs. If you think the money was misused, you can report it to Social Security's Office of Inspector General at 1-800-269-9271.

Can I still get the third stimulus payment if I missed it in 2021?

If you did not receive it by May 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a recovery rebate credit. You would file or amend your 2021 return to claim the $1,400 (or $1,400 per dependent). After the 2021 tax year closed, there was no other way to recover the payment.

Did the stimulus payment affect my SSI benefits?

The payment did not count as income and did not reduce your SSI check. However, it did count as a resource, and SSI has strict resource limits. You had until December 31, 2021, to spend it down, or your SSI benefits would have been affected in 2022. SSDI-only recipients had no resource limits and could keep the money.

What if my bank account information changed after I applied for SSDI?

If you had updated your direct deposit information with Social Security before the stimulus was sent, the payment went to your new account. If you had not updated it, the payment went to the old account on file. You could contact Social Security to update your banking information for future payments.