SSDI recipients got the third stimulus check on the same schedule as other Americans

If you received SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), you got your third stimulus payment between March and December 2021. The IRS did not send SSDI checks on a separate timeline — you received yours when other Social Security beneficiaries did, based on your birth date and payment method.

The third stimulus, officially called the American Rescue Plan Economic Impact Payment, went out in waves. The first payments arrived in mid-March 2021. If you had not received it by the end of that year, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return as a recovery rebate credit, or the IRS would have sent it later.

The amount was $1,400 per person. If you had a spouse and dependent children, each of them received $1,400 as well. The payment went to the bank account or address the IRS had on file for you.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received the third stimulus payment between March and December 2021, on the same schedule as other Social Security beneficiaries.
  • The payment amount was $1,400 per person, plus $1,400 for each spouse and dependent child.
  • If you did not receive the payment by the end of 2021, you could claim it on your 2021 tax return or contact the IRS to trace it.
  • The IRS sent payments to the bank account or mailing address it had on file, which is why some SSDI recipients received checks while others got direct deposits.

How the IRS determined when you got paid

The IRS sent the third stimulus in batches over nine months. The first group — people with the earliest birth dates — received payments starting March 12, 2021. Subsequent waves went out roughly every two weeks, organized by birth date within each wave.

If you received SSDI, your birth date determined your place in the queue, not your disability status or when you started receiving benefits. Someone born in January might have received their payment in March, while someone born in November might not have received it until late summer or fall.

The IRS prioritized direct deposit over mailed checks. If your SSDI payments went directly to your bank account, your stimulus check went the same way. If you received a paper check for SSDI, the IRS mailed your stimulus check to the address on file.

What to do if you never received the third stimulus

If you did not get the third stimulus by the end of 2021, the first step was to check the IRS "Get My Payment" tool on IRS.gov. This tool showed the payment status, the amount, and the delivery method (direct deposit or check). If the tool said the payment was mailed, you could request a replacement check.

If the tool showed no record of a payment, or if the payment went to a closed or incorrect bank account, you could claim the money on your 2021 tax return. You would file Form 1040 and claim the recovery rebate credit for any stimulus you did not receive. The IRS would then send you the difference between what you got and what you were owed.

Some SSDI recipients never filed taxes because their income was below the filing threshold. If that was your situation, you still had the right to the stimulus. You could file a 2021 tax return just to claim the recovery rebate credit, even if you owed no income tax. The IRS had a simplified form available for this purpose.

Why some SSDI recipients got checks instead of direct deposits

The IRS used the payment method on file with Social Security. If your SSDI payments arrived by direct deposit, your stimulus went the same way. If you received a paper check from Social Security, the IRS mailed your stimulus check.

Paper checks took longer — typically two to three weeks after the IRS issued them. Some people did not receive mailed checks at all because the address on file was outdated or incorrect. If this happened to you, the IRS could issue a replacement check or deposit the money to a bank account if you provided one.

How to claim the third stimulus if you missed the important date

The important date to claim the third stimulus on your tax return was April 15, 2024. If you did not claim it by then, you could still contact the IRS directly to request the payment, though the process became more complicated.

The IRS had a special process for people who did not receive stimulus payments and did not file a return to claim them. You could call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and speak to a representative about your missing payment. You would need your Social Security number, filing status, and information about your SSDI account.

If you had already filed your 2021 return without claiming the recovery rebate credit, you could file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to add the credit. This was possible even after the April 2024 important date, though the IRS would take longer to process it.

The difference between the three stimulus payments

The third stimulus was not the first or only payment. The IRS sent three stimulus payments during the pandemic, and SSDI recipients received all three on the same basis as other Americans.

The first stimulus (March 2020) was $1,200 per person. The second stimulus (December 2020) was $600 per person. The third stimulus (2021) was $1,400 per person. All three went to the same bank account or mailing address, and all three were based on your 2019 or 2020 tax return, not on your SSDI status.

If you did not receive any of the three payments, you could claim all three on your tax return as recovery rebate credits. The important date for claiming all three was April 15, 2024, but the IRS could still help you if you missed that date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did SSDI recipients get the stimulus check automatically?

Yes. The IRS automatically sent the third stimulus to anyone who had filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return or received Social Security benefits. You did not have to do anything to receive it. If you did not get it, it was usually because the IRS had an outdated address or bank account on file.

What if I got the stimulus but it was the wrong amount?

If you received less than $1,400 per person, the IRS may have reduced your payment based on your income from your most recent tax return. You could claim the difference on your 2021 tax return using the recovery rebate credit. If you received more than you were owed, you did not have to pay it back.

Can I still get the third stimulus if I'm getting SSDI now but wasn't in 2021?

If you were not receiving SSDI in 2021 and did not file a tax return that year, you would not have received the stimulus automatically. However, you could still claim it on a 2021 tax return if you filed one before April 15, 2024. After that date, contact the IRS directly to request the payment.

What if my bank account closed after the stimulus was deposited?

If the IRS deposited your stimulus to a closed account, the bank returned the money to the IRS. The IRS then mailed a check to your address on file. If you never received the check, you could claim the stimulus on your 2021 tax return or contact the IRS to request a replacement.

Do I have to report the stimulus as income on my SSDI?

No. The stimulus payments were not counted as income for SSDI purposes. They did not affect your monthly benefit amount, and you did not have to report them to Social Security. The same was true for SSI (Supplemental Security Income).