$1,400 stimulus check hasn’t hit your bank account yet? Watch your mail, IRS says
Eligible Americans who don’t see their stimulus checks in their bank accounts by Wednesday should start checking their mail, the Internal Revenue Service says.
The third round of direct payments — up to $1,400 for most people — was included in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11. Some saw the payments hit their banks accounts just days later, and millions of Americans received them through direct deposit March 17.
But some are still waiting on the funds.
The IRS said in a statement Monday that the “next batch” of payments will go out this week. Many of them will be sent as a paper check or a prepaid debit card.
“A large number of this latest batch of payments will also be mailed, so taxpayers who do not receive a direct deposit by March 24 should watch the mail carefully in the coming weeks for a paper check or a prepaid debit card, known as an Economic Impact Payment Card, or EIP Card,” the IRS says.
What to watch for
The paper checks will come in a white envelope from the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS says.
“For those taxpayers who received their tax refund by mail, this paper check will look similar, but will be labeled as an ‘Economic Impact Payment’ in the memo field,” the IRS says.
Prepaid debit cards will also come in a marked envelope along with instructions on how to activate and use them.
“The card has the Visa name on the front and the issuing bank, MetaBank, N.A. on the back,” the IRS says. “Information included with the card will explain that this is an Economic Impact Payment.”
The cards can be used online or in stores that accept Visa debit cards. They can also be used at ATMs, and those who receive the cards can transfer the money into a personal bank account.
Why hasn’t your stimulus payment come yet?
The payments were expected to come sooner for those who had already provided the IRS with their bank account information.
The “vast majority” of people eligible for the checks will receive them via direct deposit. But those receiving them through the mail should expect to wait a little longer.
And not all checks will be sent out this week, according to the IRS, as additional batches of payments are expected to continue rolling out “on a weekly basis.”
Those who haven’t received the money can check on the status of their payments using the IRS’s “Get My Payment” tool, which can be found here.
Individuals making under $75,000 and couples making under $150,000 are eligible for the full $1,400 payment, plus $1,400 per child or adult dependent. The payments will phase out after that, capping at individuals making $80,000 and couples making $160,000.
Anyone with a valid social security number, green card or H-1B and H-2A work visa is eligible for the payment.
“The IRS continues to send the third round of stimulus payments in record time,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in the statement. “Since this new set of payments will include more mailed payments, we urge people to carefully watch their mail for a check or debit card in the coming weeks.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 6:46 AM with the headline "$1,400 stimulus check hasn’t hit your bank account yet? Watch your mail, IRS says."
