When SSDI Recipients Received the Third Stimulus Payment

SSDI recipients got the third stimulus in the same batches as other Social Security beneficiaries

The third stimulus payment (also called the third Economic Impact Payment) went out between March and December 2021. If you received SSDI, you did not have to do anything special to get it — the payment was sent automatically to the bank account or address on file with Social Security.

The timing depended on how Social Security had your payment set up. People receiving direct deposit got the money fastest, usually within days of when the IRS released each batch. People getting paper checks waited longer, sometimes several weeks. A small number of people received debit cards in the mail instead.

By the end of 2021, nearly all SSDI recipients who were owed a third stimulus had received it. If you did not get one by early 2022, the money did not disappear — it became a tax credit you could claim on your 2021 tax return, or you could have requested it through the IRS.

Key Takeaways

• The third stimulus went out automatically to SSDI recipients between March and December 2021 with no process needed.
• Direct deposit recipients typically received the payment within days; paper check recipients waited several weeks.
• The payment amount was $1,400 per person, with additional amounts for dependents claimed on your tax return.
• If you did not receive a third stimulus by early 2022, you could claim it as a credit on your 2021 tax return or contact the IRS.

How the third stimulus was sent to SSDI recipients

Social Security used the same payment method you already had set up. If your SSDI check went into a bank account by direct deposit, the stimulus went there too. If you received a paper check each month, you got a paper check for the stimulus. This meant no forms to fill out and no waiting in line — the IRS and Social Security coordinated behind the scenes.

The IRS released the money in waves rather than all at once. The first wave went out in mid-March 2021. Later waves continued through the spring and summer. People on SSDI who had filed a 2020 tax return were prioritized early. Those who had not filed taxes but were in the Social Security system got their payments in later batches.

Direct deposit was by far the fastest route. Most people with direct deposit saw the money within one to three business days of when their batch was released. Paper checks took much longer — typically two to four weeks from the time the IRS mailed them, depending on postal delays and where you lived.

What the payment amount was

The third stimulus was $1,400 per person. If you were married and both spouses received SSDI, you each got $1,400. If you had dependent children under 17 that you claimed on your taxes, you got an additional $1,400 per child.

The payment did not reduce your SSDI benefits. It was a one-time payment separate from your monthly check, and it did not count as income that would affect your benefits going forward. This was different from some other government programs where a lump sum payment can reduce future information.

If you did not receive a third stimulus by the end of 2021

Some SSDI recipients did not get a third stimulus in 2021, usually because Social Security and the IRS did not have matching information on file. This sometimes happened if you had recently started receiving SSDI or if your address had changed and one agency had the old one.

If this happened to you, the money did not disappear. You could claim it on your 2021 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit. You would file your 2021 taxes (or amend them if you had already filed) and claim the credit for the $1,400 you did not receive. The IRS would then send it to you as a refund or explore it to taxes you owed.

Alternatively, you could contact the IRS directly using the "Get My Payment" tool on IRS.gov, which let you check the status of your stimulus and request a payment if you had been missed. This tool was available through the end of 2021 and into 2022.

How to check if you received your third stimulus

The easiest way to check is to look at your bank or credit card statements from March through December 2021. If you received direct deposit, the $1,400 (or $1,400 plus any dependent amounts) should appear as a deposit from the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the IRS.

If you received a paper check, look through your mail from that period. The check would have been from the U.S. Treasury and would have had a stub showing it was an Economic Impact Payment.

If you cannot find a record of receiving it and you did not claim it on your 2021 taxes, you can contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or visit IRS.gov to get more information about your specific situation.

Why some SSDI recipients had to wait longer

Social Security and the IRS had to match records to make sure each person got paid only once. This process took time, especially for people whose information did not match perfectly between the two agencies. Someone who had moved, changed their name, or had a recent change in their Social Security record might have been held up while the agencies verified who they were.

People who did not file taxes regularly were also slower to receive payments. The IRS prioritized people who had filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return because their information was already in the system. People who had not filed taxes in recent years had to wait for Social Security to send their information to the IRS, which added weeks to the process.

By December 2021, the IRS had sent out more than 169 million payments. The remaining people who had not received one were mostly those with incomplete or mismatched records, and they had the option to claim the credit on their taxes instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. The third stimulus did not count as income for SSDI purposes and did not reduce your monthly benefit. It was a one-time federal payment separate from your regular SSDI check. You did not have to report it to Social Security.

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

This was rare for SSDI recipients, but if it happened, you were not required to return it. The law protected people who received stimulus payments they were not technically owed. You kept the money and did not face penalties or have to repay it.

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

Yes, by claiming it on your 2021 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit. File or amend your 2021 return and claim the credit for $1,400 (plus $1,400 per dependent if you had them). The IRS will send you the money as a refund or explore it to taxes you owe.

Why did my spouse get their third stimulus but I did not?

This usually means the IRS had one person's information but not the other's, or the records did not match. Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 with both Social Security numbers and ask them to investigate. You can also claim the credit on your 2021 tax return if you have not already.

Does receiving the third stimulus affect my SSI or other benefits?

The third stimulus did not count as income for SSDI. If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) instead of SSDI, the rules were different — SSI has strict resource limits, and the stimulus could have affected your benefits temporarily. Check with your local Social Security office if you receive SSI.