Last week, for the third time in less than a year, the federal government began issuing direct payments of about $1,400 for millions of Americans. About 90 million payments were set to begin hitting bank accounts on March 17, but some still have not received their stimulus payouts.
The stimulus checks, which total $242.2 billion, began electronically arriving for many last week as a part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which offers financial relief to individuals and businesses as the pandemic continues. About 150,000 payments have been sent so far in the form of paper checks. Still, some are awaiting their payments via direct deposit nearly a week after the first checks were issued. Additional payments were sent on Wednesday, March 24, according to a CBS News report.
As of Thursday, about 127 million payments or $325 billion in checks had been distributed via mail, direct deposit or via debit card, according to the Treasury Department, IRS and Bureau of the Fiscal Service. That still leaves more than $120 billion in payments unpaid to millions of Americans. Wednesday’s batch of payments included his new batch included about 37 million direct payments totaling almost $83 billion, according to a report by CNBC.
The payments were always slated to take weeks to get to each of the eligible recipients. Earlier this month, IRS and Treasury officials announced plans to send about 100 million payments within the first 10 days of distribution for the third round of stimulus payments. Some of those citizens who may not yet have their payments could be those receiving Social Security, Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Administration benefits, according to the IRS.
The House Ways and Means Committee has sent a letter to the IRS asking about reported delays in sending payments to Social Security, Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board benefit recipients.
“Some of our most vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities, including veterans who served our country with honor, are unable to pay for basic necessities while they wait for their overdue payments,” lawmakers on the panel wrote.
In a statement Monday, the IRS said “more information about when these payments will be made will be provided on IRS.gov as soon as it becomes available.”
That delay affects several older Americans, and some of those folks went online to ask New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker about the delays.
The issue has been persistent for Social Security recipients since the first coronavirus stimulus was issued last spring. A “large number” of those payments will be mailed, so, by default, they will take longer than the direct deposit payments. Though the “Get My Payment” tool is available on the IRS.gov site, it does not always provide the latest update on the estimated arrival of stimulus payments.
Even so, for those still awaiting their payment, here are a few things to know:
- Visit https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment to check on the status
- Expect to see the following payment status messages:
Your payment has been processed and it will be sent on the date shown by direct deposit or mail. If your payment is by mail, you will receive an EIP Card (debit card) or a check. The amount of your third Economic Impact Payment is not shown.
You’re eligible, but a payment has not been processed and a payment date isn’t available yet.
Payment Status Not Available: We haven’t yet determined your eligibility or you’re not eligible for a payment.
3. Expect to get your payment via direct deposit, check or debit card
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