SSDI recipients received the third stimulus check automatically if they filed taxes or received benefits in 2020

The third stimulus payment, sent in March 2021, went to most SSDI recipients without requiring them to take any action. The IRS used tax return information from 2019 or 2020, or Social Security Administration records, to identify who should receive the $1,400 payment. If you were receiving SSDI benefits in 2020, you were included in this automatic mailing unless you had been incarcerated or were claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return.

The payment arrived by direct deposit if you had set up direct deposit with Social Security, or by paper check or debit card if you had not. Most recipients who received the first two stimulus payments in 2020 received the third payment the same way. The IRS began sending payments on March 17, 2021, and continued through the summer of that year.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI recipients received the third stimulus check automatically in March 2021 if they were on the benefit rolls in 2020, with no process or action required.
  • The payment arrived by direct deposit, paper check, or debit card depending on how you received other government payments.
  • If you did not receive a payment by summer 2021, you could check the IRS "Get My Payment" tool or contact the IRS to trace it.
  • Incarcerated individuals and people claimed as dependents on another person's tax return did not receive the third stimulus payment.

How the IRS identified SSDI recipients for the third payment

The IRS matched SSDI benefit records against tax filings to build the mailing list. If you filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return, the IRS used that. If you did not file taxes but were receiving SSDI in 2020, the Social Security Administration sent your information to the IRS, and you were included automatically. This meant most SSDI recipients never had to contact anyone or fill out a form.

The one major exception was people who had not filed taxes in either 2019 or 2020 and were not yet on the IRS radar. Some very low-income SSDI recipients fell into this group. For them, the IRS later opened a "Non-Filer Sign-Up Tool" in the spring of 2021 to capture missing people, though by that point most payments had already gone out.

Timeline for when payments arrived

The IRS released payments in waves starting March 17, 2021. The first wave went to people with direct deposit on file, which meant most payments arrived within days. Paper checks and debit cards took longer—the IRS mailed them over several weeks, so arrival depended on postal delivery time and your location.

By the end of April 2021, the vast majority of SSDI recipients had received their payment. Stragglers continued to arrive through May and June. If you were expecting a payment and had not received it by mid-June 2021, the IRS considered it delayed and you could file a claim.

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

If you were on SSDI in 2020 but did not receive a third stimulus payment by summer 2021, the first step was to check the IRS "Get My Payment" tool on the IRS website. This tool showed the payment status, the amount, and the delivery method. If it said the payment was sent but you never received it, you could report it as missing.

For a missing paper check or debit card, you could contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to request a replacement or a trace. The IRS would investigate whether the check was cashed or the card was used. If neither had happened, they could issue a new payment. For a missing direct deposit, the IRS could verify the account information and reissue the payment to a different account if needed.

If the "Get My Payment" tool showed no record of a payment at all, you could file a 2020 tax return (if you had not already) or use the Non-Filer Sign-Up Tool to claim the payment as a credit. This was a slower process—it could take weeks or months—but it was the way to recover a payment the IRS had no record of sending.

SSDI recipients who were not sent the third stimulus payment

Three groups of people on SSDI did not receive the third stimulus payment. The first was incarcerated individuals—federal law barred stimulus payments to anyone in prison or jail. The second was people claimed as dependents on another person's tax return, even if they were adults receiving SSDI. The third was non-citizens without a Social Security number, though this was a smaller group because most SSDI recipients are U.S. citizens.

If you fell into one of these categories and believed you should have received a payment, you could contact the IRS to dispute it. Incarcerated individuals could appeal after release. People claimed as dependents could ask the person claiming them to amend their tax return and claim the payment instead, though this required that person's cooperation.

How the third stimulus compared to the first two payments

The third stimulus payment was $1,400 per person, compared to $1,200 for the first payment in April 2020 and $600 for the second payment in December 2020. The delivery method was the same: direct deposit first, then paper checks and debit cards. The may be able to access rules were also similar—SSDI recipients were included in all three rounds without having to take action.

One difference was that the third payment had stricter income limits. If your income was very high, you might not have received it, though most SSDI recipients fell well below those limits. Another difference was timing: the third payment arrived much faster than the first two because the IRS had refined its process and had better data on who was receiving benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still claim the third stimulus payment if I did not receive it?

Yes, but only if you file a 2020 or 2021 tax return. You can claim the payment as a credit called the "Recovery Rebate Credit" on your return. If you do not normally file taxes, you can contact the IRS to see if you can file a return retroactively to claim it. The important date to claim it has passed for most people, but some situations allow exceptions.

What if I received the third stimulus payment but I was incarcerated at the time?

You were not supposed to receive it, and the IRS may ask you to return it. If you spent it, contact the IRS to explain your situation. Some people have been able to keep the payment if they were released before it arrived, but this depends on the exact timing and your state's rules.

Did SSDI recipients get the third stimulus automatically, or did they have to sign up?

It was automatic. If you were on SSDI in 2020, the Social Security Administration sent your information to the IRS, and you received the payment without filling out any forms or contacting anyone. No sign-up was required.

If I moved after the third stimulus was sent, could it have gone to my old address?

Yes, if you received a paper check or debit card. The IRS mailed it to the address on file with them, which might have been outdated. If this happened, you could contact the IRS or the post office to trace the check, or file a claim with the IRS for a replacement payment.