The IRS started sending the $600 stimulus beginning in early December 29, 2020. If you haven’t received a second stimulus check for $600 recently sent out by the IRS, we can help you figure out why. There are several reasons why you have not received a stimulus check. In this post, we will walk you through five top reasons.
In addition, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the second round of stimulus checks.
Meanwhile, follow the two steps below to figure out why you have not gotten your payment yet.
If you have not received a Stimulus Check
As mentioned above, the IRS started sending the stimulus payments beginning in early December 29, 2020.
The IRS will continue to send payments through January 15th, 2021.
If you did not receive the second stimulus check for $600 and you believe you are eligible, there are two steps you need to take:
Step 1 – Check with the IRS using the Get My Payment Tool
The first step in figuring out why you did not get a stimulus check is to contact the IRS.
Fortunately, the IRS has an online tool that will help you easily get a status on your check.
If you are eligible for a stimulus check, you can now check the status of your stimulus check with the IRS online.
Here’s how it works:
First, visit the IRS “Get My Payment” tool, which is updated once a day.
Once there, click on the “Get My Payment” link as shown below:
You will be taken to the page below.
Enter the information requested as shown by the image below, including your:
- Social Security Number or Individual Tax ID Number
- Date of Birth
- Street Address
- Zip Code
Once you have entered the information, click the “CONTINUE” button.
If you entered the correct information, you will get one of two results.
Result Number One
If a payment has been sent to you already, you will see the date the payment was sent to your bank account or mailed to you.
If you also received a stimulus during the first round last year, it will also show you the date the first stimulus payment was made.
See the image below for an example.
Result Number Two
Next, you may get a “not available” message, as shown below.
This means that you’re either not eligible for a second stimulus check or you are eligible but will not be paid right now.
However, you will be able to claim any unpaid amount on your 2020 tax return.
If you received a “not available” message after completing step number one above, then go to step number 2 below:
Review the 5 reasons below to see if any apply to your current situation. You may find out among the reasons below why you did not receive a check.
5 Reasons You Haven’t Received 2nd Stimulus Check
If you have not received your second stimulus check for $600, here are the 5 possible reasons why:
Reason #1 – You have Changed bank account or Address
First, if you have not received your stimulus check, make sure your bank account is the same as the last time.
If you recently changed bank accounts or your home address that could be a problem.
That’s because the IRS says there is no way for you to update your information with them before the payments are sent.
According to the IRS, people with new bank accounts will have to wait and claim their stimulus payment as a credit on their 2020 federal tax return.
Reason #2 – Your Adjusted Gross Income is too High
Second, if you have not yet received the second round of stimulus payment, it may be because your income makes you ineligible.
Here’s who’s eligible for the $600 stimulus checks:
First, individuals who reported adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or less on their 2019 tax returns will receive the full $600.
For couples filing jointly, the threshold is $150,000 or less AGI.
However, if you are the head of a household, the income limit to get the $600 check is AGI of $112,500 or less.
Second, for people who earned more than those amounts, the size of the check will gradually decrease by $5 for every $100 earned over that threshold.
Reason #3 – You are getting a Paper Check or Debit Card
If you received a paper check or debit card during the first round of stimulus payments, you are likely to receive the $600 payment the same way.
However, there is an exception:
If you set up a direct deposit with the IRS when you filed your 2019 tax return, then your $600 stimulus will be sent that way.
You can check the status of your payment by using the IRS online Get My Payment tool by following the instructions above.
Reason #4 – The IRS has not processed your 2019 tax return
The IRS has recently reported that there are still 7.1 million 2019 tax returns that are yet to be processed.
Most of these were paper tax returns.
The delays in processing the returns have been blamed on Covid-19.
Since the second round of stimulus checks is based on 2019 tax returns, if your 2019 is one of the millions that has not been processed, then your check will be delayed.
Reason #5 – You fall in one of the groups not eligible
The second stimulus bill excludes a number of groups from getting the $600 payments.
If you fall under one of the groups below, you are not eligible for the second stimulus check:
- You are a dependent but older than 17 years of age.
- If you’re a “nonresident alien” in the U.S.
- You do not have a Social Security number that is valid for employment
- Deceased individuals, along with estates or trusts, are not eligible.
Why You Haven’t Received 2nd Stimulus Check Summary
Here’s the bottom line:
The IRS started sending the $600 stimulus beginning in early December 29, 2020.
If you received your first stimulus check, then you should be getting your $600 soon, if you have not received it already.
The IRS will continue to send payments through January 15th, 2021.
If you think you should have received a check but did not, you can use the IRS’s Get My Payment to check your payment status as shown above.
Finally, if after January 15th, if you have not received your payment, then it’s due to one of the 5 reasons explained above.
Questions?
We hope this post on why you haven’t received a second Stimulus Check was helpful.
If you have further questions about Social Security or Disability benefits, please let us know in the comments section below.
Be sure to check out our other articles on Social Security and Direct Express, including Second Stimulus Check for $600 Update, Questions about Second Stimulus Check, Social Security Stimulus Check Update, Direct Express Stimulus Check, and Replacement Social Security card online.
