You only have one option to claim the funds due. If you are eligible for economic stimulus checks processed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in conjunction with the Department of Treasury, both first and second round, whose distribution began last week, but you have not received either payment, you can claim both as “Refund Recovery Credits” when you file your tax return this year.
This was reported by the IRS in press releases on its website, which alerts taxpayers that if they do not receive their second stimulus check by January and did not receive the one approved under the CARES law, they must go through the additional process for authorities to process the funds.
In the first distribution process that the U.S. government initiated last March, millions of citizens did not receive the payment because the IRS did not have the personal information needed to process the payment. The agency enabled the online “Non-filers” tool for potential recipients to submit their data to expedite the disbursement.
However, the deadline for using the service was November 21, and not all eligible individuals claimed the money through the tool.
This explains part of the fact that at this time dozens of Americans are still not receiving their first-round stimulus checks.
For this second, the “Non-filers” application will not be enabled; or at least, at the moment, there is no information that points to the above.
The repeated advice from the IRS is to claim the payment due from the first round, the second round, or both through the tax credit on this year’s federal tax return.
Authorities began depositing the first second-round stimulus checks last week.
By law, the IRS and the Treasury must finish sending most of the payments by January 15. If by the end of the month, you – being eligible – have not received yours, you must go to the option of applying for the credit.
The bad news is that the IRS still carries late refunds from last tax season that it has not processed, so it could take months for the economic impact payments to arrive if you claim the credit.
The recommendation is that the tax return be sent electronically for priority processing by the IRS.