When will Seniors get Stimulus Checks?

When will Seniors get Stimulus Checks? If you are a senior or on Social Security, SSI or SSDI benefits and have not yet received your third stimulus check, we can help. In this post, we will explain everything you need to know about the American Rescue Plan (third stimulus package).

First, we will explain the eligibility and income qualifications for seniors and those on Social security benefits.

Next, we will provide a timeline on when seniors can expect their third stimulus checks.

Additionally, we will walk you through how to use the IRS stimulus Tracker to check the status of your third stimulus.

Lastly, we will answer the most frequently asked questions about stimulus checks, including whether your checks are taxable or whether they can be taken by debt collectors.

Are Seniors Eligible for Third Stimulus Check?

For the first and second stimulus checks, eligibility was based on your adjusted gross income, or AGI, from your federal tax filing.

Similarly, for the third stimulus check, the IRS will use your AGI to determine whether you are eligible or not.

However, since the tax deadline for 2020 has been extended to May 17, the IRS is likely to use your 2019 tax return, if you file taxes.

Also, for the third stimulus check, some of the eligibility rules changed in the final version of the bill.

Third Stimulus Income Limits

Here’s who’s eligible for a $1,400 check according to the plan passed by the Senate, which is the version likely to become law.

Individuals who earned $75,000 or less in their most recent tax year will receive the full $1,400.

Also, married couples who earned $150,000 or less, and heads of household who earned $112,500 or less will also get the full $1,400.

Payments begin to phase out from there.

Here’s how the payments phase-out based on income:

Individuals who earned more than $75,000, but less than $80,000 will see a reduced payment.

In addition, married couples who earned more than $150,000, but less than $160,000 will get a smaller check.

Lastly, heads of households who earned more than $112,500, but less than $120,000, will be eligible for a reduced payment.

Who is NOT eligible?

If you fall under the income categories below, then you are not eligible for a stimulus check.

• Individuals who earned more than $80,000
• Married couples who earned more than $160,000, and
• Heads of household who earned more than $120,000

The video below from the Washington Post does a great job of summarizing who is eligible for the $1,400 stimulus payments:

How will the IRS Decide Eligibility for Seniors and Social Security Recipients?

Since eligibility for the stimulus check is based on income information from tax returns, there is a question about whether Social Security beneficiaries are eligible.

According to the legislation for the third round of payments, Social Security beneficiaries are eligible for the third stimulus payment.

In fact, you would not need to take additional steps to receive the third stimulus payment if you already receive federal benefits through any of these programs:

• Social Security Old-Age retirement, Survivors or Disability Insurance
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Railroad Retirement Board benefits
• Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits

The IRS will get your information from the Social Security Administration or the federal agency that issues your federal benefits.

When will Seniors get Stimulus Check?

Timeline for Stimulus Checks from IRS

Here’s what the timeline looks like based on information we have gathered from the IRS website and feedback from our readers.

Here’s when you can expect to receive your stimulus check:

How will I Receive my Stimulus Payment?

SSI recipients should receive their $1,400 automatically by direct deposit, Direct Express debit card, or check, just as they would typically receive their SSI benefits.

However, it is possible that your payment will be sent via a different method this time around for the $1,400 stimulus.

Therefore, it is possible that those who have their payments delivered by direct deposit previously will instead get a check or an EIP debit card.

How to Use the IRS Stimulus Check Status Tracker

The IRS Stimulus Check Status Tracker is a tool by the IRS to help get the status of your stimulus check.

Here’s how to use the IRS Stimulus Check Status Tracker to get the status of your $1,400 stimulus payment and check on the first and second round of stimulus payments.

Step 1 – Visit the Get My Payment Website

The first step in getting the status of your stimulus is to visit the “Get my Payment” portal.

Click here to be taken to the Get My Payment portal.

Once there, click the “Get My Payment” link as shown below

Step 2 – Accept Disclaimer

Next, you will be taken to a page where you will have to accept a disclaimer with terms of use of the “Get My Payment” portal in order to proceed.

To accept the disclaimer, click the “OK” link as shown below.

You cannot proceed without accepting this disclaimer.

Step 3 – Enter your Personal Information

Next, you will be taken to a page, like the one below where you will be asked to provide your personal information in order to retrieve your stimulus payment status.

This includes:

• • • Social Security Number or Tax ID Number
    • Date of Birth
    • Street Address
    • Zip Code

See the image below for details.

Once you enter the requested information, click the “CONTINUE” link for further instructions.

Step 4 – See your Stimulus Check Status

If you entered the correct information requested, you will be taken to a page like the one below where you will see the status of your stimulus check.

What your Stimulus Status Means

When you use the IRS stimulus tracker, you will get various statuses. Here are the different statuses and what they mean:

Payment Status #1:

The first type of payment status will say the following:

A payment has been processed, a payment date is available and payment is to be sent either by direct deposit or mail.

Note: mail means you may be issued an EIP Card or a check.

The image below shows what this payment status looks like:

Payment Status #2:

The other type of payment status will say the following:

You’re eligible, but a payment has not been processed and a payment date is not yet available.

It will not show the amount of your 2021 Economic Impact Payment.

Payment Status – ‘Payment status not available’

If you are getting “Payment Status Not Available” from the IRS stimulus check tracker – do not be alarmed.

According to the IRS, if you receive that message it can mean one of three things:

You are not eligible for the payment.
The payment has yet to be processed
The IRS doesn’t have enough information to issue the payment to you

Here are the two types of “Payment Status Not Available” statuses you are likely to get:

Payment Status – Not Available -#1

Payment Status Not Available: We haven’t yet processed your payment or you’re not eligible for a payment.

Need More Information: Your payment was returned to the IRS because the Postal Service was unable to deliver it.

If your address has changed the IRS says the easiest way to update is to file your 2020 tax return with your current address, if you haven’t already done so.

Once they receive your current address, they will reissue your payment.

If you get this message, you can use the “Get My Payment” to enter your bank account information for direct deposit.

Payment Status – Not Available # 2

The second “Non Available” status covers the following scenarios:

The IRS cannot locate your records based on the information you entered.

However, it could also mean that the system has locked you out for excessive attempts to provide the information requested.

You can try in a few hours or the next day.

Stimulus Check FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked Stimulus Check questions:

Will the third stimulus Payment be taxed?

No. Similar to the first and second stimulus payments, the third stimulus check for $1,400 will not be taxed.

That is because the stimulus check is considered an advanced payment of the Recovery Rebate tax credit for the 2021 tax year.

As a result, it will not be counted as taxable income.

Furthermore, you won’t be required to repay any stimulus check payment when filing your 2021 tax return, even if your third stimulus check is greater than your 2021 credit.

Additionally, if your third stimulus payment is less than your 2021 credit, you’ll get the difference when you file your 2021 return next year.

Can Stimulus Checks be Garnished – for Debt or Child Support?

The answer is complicated.

Just like in the past, these stimulus checks can’t be garnished by the federal government or the IRS.

First, the $1,400 stimulus payments would be protected from an outstanding tax debt or debt collected by governments including child-support offsets

However, other forms of debt, including state taxes and private lending, are still vulnerable to garnishment.

This means that private companies and debt collectors can garnish your stimulus check, depending on the type of debt you owe.

For example, If you’re behind on credit card payments and the credit card company has filed a judgment against you, they will be able to access your stimulus payments.

When will SSI get Stimulus Check Summary?

Here’s the bottom line:

The IRS started sending direct deposits of the third stimulus on Friday, March 12th, 2021.

If you are an SSI recipient and:

• • You did not file taxes in 2019 or 2020, and
  • Did not use the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov last year to update your information

The IRS is working directly with the Social Security Administration to obtain updated 2021 information in order to know where to send your payment.

However, you can still get a status update on when you can expect your stimulus check using the IRS Stimulus Check Status Tracker.

To do so, you have to log into the IRS’ “Get My Payment” portal and provide your identifying information to get your check(s) status.

Questions?

We hope this post on the question – “When will Seniors get Stimulus Checks?” was helpful.

If you have further questions about Stimulus Checks, Social Security, or Disability benefits, please let us know in the comments section below.

Be sure to check out our other articles on:
Third Stimulus Check FAQs
When will Social Security get the Third Stimulus?
What is the Third Stimulus Check Release Date?
January 2022 SSI Payment Schedule 
Direct Express Stimulus Check Deposit Date
Stimulus Debit Card FAQs
Direct Express Dispute Resolution Help
When will SSI get Third Stimulus Checks?