Stimulus checks: What to do if your payment hasn't come

Stimulus checks: What to exercise if your payment hasn't come up

(Prototype credit: Getty Images)

Hundreds, mayhap thousands, of Americans are yet missing their third stimulus payments months after the IRS began distributing checks, and it's not clear why these individuals haven't seen their relief coin or when they finally will.

As of early June, the IRS and the Treasury Department had distributed more than 169 million payments totaling $395 billion. Merely according to Fast Visitor, many individuals accept been working to rail down their lost stimulus checks, trying everything from calling the IRS (whose representative suggested the delay was due to a "programming error") to contacting their Congressional representatives. Unfortunately, many of the payments remain outstanding.

Fourth stimulus check: Possible corporeality, status and latest news
IRS launches new tools to help you get more stimulus coin
Plus: Stimulus bank check: Here's who is getting an actress $ane,000 in relief funds

Information technology's frustrating to take your stimulus relief in limbo, peculiarly if those funds are needed to cover essentials like food and rent. It's fifty-fifty worse to accept lilliputian recourse and no clear path to receive that money. Yet, there are a few things you can try to track downward your check.

Start, if you haven't done so already, utilize the IRS' stimulus-check tracking tool to view the status of your payment. This portal tin can at least tell you if and when your funds were issued.

If you come across "Payment Status Non Available," information technology's likely that the agency hasn't processed your taxation render or you're not eligible for stimulus bank check 3. If that doesn't seem right, you may need to do some additional digging.

Say your stimulus check was (supposedly) processed, and you received a alphabetic character from the IRS (Notice 1444) most your payment corporeality, but your money hasn't arrived. Yous may need to request a payment trace, which tin can have up to vi weeks to process. Yous tin can call the IRS at 800-919-9835 to speak to an agent, or yous can fill out Grade 3911 and ship information technology in.

If you're willing to wait on hold, calling the IRS may exist your best bet to get more data. Hopefully, a representative can aid you rails down your missing payment or direct you to the next steps to get it reissued, such as contacting the depository financial institution that sent out the stimulus-check debit cards.

Once you're confident your payment is on the manner, you can use the USPS Informed Delivery service to go a heads-upwards on the delivery day.

If none of these steps yield results, the last resort may be claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return next jump. However, that's not so helpful if you need the money now.

Emily Long is a Utah-based freelance writer who covers consumer applied science, privacy and personal finance for Tom'south Guide. She has been reporting and writing for nearly 10 years, and her work has appeared in Wirecutter, Lifehacker, NBC BETTER and CN Traveler, among others. When she's non working, you tin can observe her trail running, teaching and practicing yoga, or studying for grad schoolhouse — all fueled by coffee, obviously.