Am i entitled to a stimulus check

Throughout the pandemic, IRS and Treasury struggled to get COVID-relief payments into the hands of some people—especially those with lower-incomes, limited internet access, or experiencing homelessness. Based on IRS and Treasury data, there could be between 9-10 million eligible individuals who have not yet received those payments.

Relief might be in sight for more families and individuals. Individuals with little or no income, and therefore not required to pay taxes, have until November 15 to complete a simplified tax return to get their payments. Taxpayers who missed the April 15 deadline have until October 17. These IRS pages, irs.gov/coronavirus/EIP and ChildTaxCredit.gov, have more information on how to complete and submit a tax return.

Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our work on COVID-19 payments to individuals, including the Child Tax Credit and next steps for people who may still be eligible to receive theirs.

Who can get a COVID-19 stimulus payment or a Child Tax Credit?

From April 2020 to December 2021, the federal government made direct COVID-19 stimulus payments to individuals totaling $931 billion. Congress authorized three rounds of payments that benefited an estimated 165 million eligible Americans. Generally, U.S. citizens with income below $75,000 or married couples with an income below $150,000 were eligible for all three payments and the full amount of each payment.  

Congress also temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to include more families and increased the payment amounts. Most people with children qualify automatically for the CTC when they file their taxes, but there are some other eligibility requirements, too.

Millions of families may have already received some expanded CTC payments. From July to December 2021, eligible families received advance monthly payments of half their total expected CTC, benefiting around 84% of U.S. children. Generally, checks were directly deposited into the bank accounts IRS had on file for the recipient family. According to the Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve, COVID stimulus and advance CTC payments reduced financial hardship and food insufficiency among recipients.

As stated above, individuals and families can still file a tax return to see if they are eligible to take advantage of these payments and the child tax credit.

What more can Treasury and IRS do to get the word out about how eligible individuals can get their payments?

Treasury and IRS undertook sweeping communications and outreach efforts to publicize the COVID-19 payments and the expanded CTC. Even so, we found several groups of people who experienced difficulties receiving payments including those that:

• had never filed a tax return,
• were filing for the first time,
• did not have bank accounts or who lacked access to banks,
• those with mixed immigrant status families,
• those with limited or no internet access,
• those experiencing homelessness.

Part of the challenge for the IRS and Treasury in 2020 was they only had data on taxpayers that had previously filed taxes. Since a broader set of families were eligible for the COVID-19 stimulus payments and the expanded CTC, Treasury and IRS reached out to around 9 million Americans to let them know they were eligible for the relief payments. In May 2021, the Treasury Inspector General identified potentially 10 million individuals eligible for payments. As of June, IRS had no plans to conduct additional outreach. 

We made recommendations to IRS and Treasury on ways to improve outreach and communications efforts, especially to underserved communities.

What can people do who think they may be eligible, but are missing payments?

Individuals who think they may be eligible but did not receive a COVID-19 payment in 2020 or 2021 or the CTC can file a simplified return at ChildTaxCredit.gov. However, the deadlines to do so are rapidly approaching. Individuals with little or no income, and therefore not required to pay taxes, have until November 15 and taxpayers who missed the April 15 filing deadline have until October 17.

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All first and second Economic Impact Payments have been sent out by the IRS. If you didn't get a first and second Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amounts, you may be eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit by filing a 2020 tax return if you have not filed yet or by amending your 2020 tax return if it's already been processed. Your Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return will reduce the amount of tax you owe for 2020 or be included in your tax refund. Here's how eligible individuals claim the credit:

Do Not claim any missing first or second payments on your 2021 tax return.

File a 2020 tax return if you have not filed one yet or amend your 2020 tax return if your 2020 return has already been processed. Your Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return will reduce the amount of tax you owe for 2020 or be included in your tax refund. Here's how eligible individuals claim the credit:

If you did not file a 2020 tax return or successfully use the Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool:

File a 2020 tax return to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit even if you don't usually file a tax return.

See the 2020 FAQs Recovery Rebate Credit — Topic A: Claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren't required to file a tax return.

If you did file a 2020 tax return or successfully used the Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool and did not claim a Recovery Rebate Credit:

File an amended return to claim the credit.

See the 2020 FAQs Recovery Rebate Credit — Topic G: Correcting issues after the 2020 tax return is filed.

If you filed a 2020 tax return or successfully used the Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool and you received a letter from the IRS about your 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit:

If you agree with the changes we made, you don't need to reply. Keep the letter with your tax records.

If you disagree, call us at the toll-free number listed on the top right corner of your notice. If you received a letter from the IRS about other issues relating to your tax return, you should follow the instructions in the letter.

See the 2020 FAQs Recovery Rebate Credit — Topic G: Correcting issues after the 2020 tax return is filed.

If your 2020 return or information has not yet been processed

Do not file a second tax return. Some returns need special handling to correct errors or credit amounts, which can delay processing by up to 120 days. The IRS is having to correct significantly more errors on 2020 tax returns than in previous years. If we correct the credit claimed on your return, we will send you an explanation. 

How do I know if I am eligible for stimulus?

How do you get a 2022 stimulus check?