The IRS online tool known as “Get My Payment” is supposed to show the taxpayer the status of “Economic Impact Payment” or stimulus checks already processed by the agency without much hassle.
“Payment status” includes the date and method (direct deposit or payment by mail) it was issued. Some people will receive their second Economic Impact Payment in the mail, either in the form of a paper check or in the form of a debit card. For individuals in this group, the IRS urges individuals to carefully monitor their mail for any of these during January,” states an answer in the Stimulus Payments FAQ section of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) online site.
The agency further clarifies that the Get My Payment system updates data once a day – overnight – so there is no need to check the application more than once in a 24-hour period.
In some cases, users may receive a “payment status unavailable” message. This, the IRS explains on its website, is due to three reasons:
- You filed a 2019 tax return, but the agency has not finished processing it.
- You don’t normally file a tax return and the IRS doesn’t have enough information to process a payment
- You are not eligible for a payment
It is important for you to remember that because the second stimulus check is processed based on information the IRS already has on file, you will not be able to provide new routing or account information, nor will you be able to request a payment by EIP card or prepaid debit card.
If any of the above three scenarios apply to you, you must request the payments due through a “Refund Recovery Credit” on line 30 of your Form 1040 (SP) or Form 1040-SR on your 2020 tax return, the IRS says.