Want to get your third stimulus check sooner? You will need to try these recommendations before the third stimulus check is signed by the president.
These tips can help you speed up the delivery of your third stimulus check and could help you avoid a long wait for the money you are due and missing.
Congress is working to pass a new $1.9 trillion stimulus bill and a third stimulus check of up to $1,400 per person that would come with it in a bill that could be passed by mid-March.
That means you still have time to make sure you’re on track to get your money. This week the stimulus bill will be under discussion in the Senate for amendment and a vote and then go to President Joe Biden to sign the bill into law.
What should you do to prepare?
1. File your taxes
If you are missing stimulus money from the first two payments, you will need to apply for a Recovery Refund Credit at the time you file your 2020 taxes. To ensure faster delivery of your money, you should set up direct deposit as an option with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Also, don’t forget to e-file your taxes as this is the best way for your stimulus check to be deposited faster once it becomes law.
Remember that a third check could give you more money than the previous ones and not just the $1,400 it provides for.
2. Set up direct deposit when you file your taxes
You should set up a direct deposit account that is directly linked to your bank account when you file your 2020 tax return because it can benefit you in two ways:
You will be able to get your Recovery Refund Credit for your undelivered stimulus money faster. The IRS has insisted that the best and fastest way to get your refund is to have it electronically deposited into your bank account.
Remember that you can set up direct deposit into up to three bank accounts if you wish to divide your tax refund among them.
By e-filing your return through the IRS software, which is available free of charge and pay-as-you-go system, you can get your refund faster than if you print your return and mail it in.
The IRS has reported that this season it expects 9 out of 10 taxpayers to receive their refund within 21 days of e-filing with direct deposit, if there are no problems with your tax return.
Including your direct deposit information on your tax return has another benefit: at the time the Third Stimulus Check is approved if you are in the group of people with direct deposit set up through the IRS you will be among the first taxpayers to receive your money as opposed to those who receive a paper check in the mail or through an EIP card.
3. Make sure the IRS and USPS have your correct address.
In case you moved after filing your 2021 tax return or during the coronavirus pandemic, you’ll need to do two things to make sure your stimulus check and other paycheck information can reach you.
You will need to inform the IRS and the United States Postal Service (USPS) if your new location is temporary. You will need to make sure your current address is correct so you can receive the letter and notice from the IRS verifying when the agency sent your payment. In the event that the letter arrives at your IRS address of record but your funds do not, then you will not know that you have to claim your stimulus check by tracking your payment.
In case you lose your notice and letter, here’s what to do to get it back. If you need to change your address with the USPS and IRS we have also prepared a note on how to do this.