If you’re still wondering “where’s my stimulus check,” the IRS no longer has an online portal where you can track your payment. The old portal — called the “Get My Payment” tool — was retired earlier this year because the IRS no longer sends out stimulus check payments. (To find out how much money you should have received, see our Third Stimulus Verification Calculator.)
You can always find the amount of your third stimulus payment by creating a online IRS account (opens in a new tab) or see IRS Notice 1444-C or Letter 6475, which the IRS sent earlier this year to people who received a third stimulus payment in 2021. If you did not receive a payment or if you received less than the full amount, you may be able to get what’s owed to you by claiming the recovery rebate credit on your 2021 tax return (although you should file soon!). You will need the total payment amount from your online account, notice 1444-C or letter 6475 to calculate your salvage rebate credit. If you are married and filed a joint tax return, each spouse must log into their own online account or use their own notification/letter for their half of the total payment.
State stimulus checks in 2022
Although the federal government is not sending stimulus checks this year, some states are sending similar tax refunds in 2022. These state “stimulus checks” are designed to help residents combat rising coronavirus. inflation and deal with other economic difficulties. Funding for state payments typically comes from a budget surplus or federal COVID relief assistance. To find out if your state is sending (or will send) a rebate this year, check out State “Stimulus Checks” in 2022.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s free email newsletters
Enjoy and thrive with Kiplinger’s best expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your email.
Profit and thrive with the best expert advice from Kiplinger – straight to your email.
How the Old Stimulus Check Portal Worked
The old “Get My Payment” tool which has been removed allowed you to:
- Check the status of your stimulus payment;
- Confirm your type of payment (paper check or direct deposit); and
- Get an expected delivery date for direct deposit or paper check (or find out if a payment hasn’t been scheduled).
To access the tool, you were asked to provide a:
- Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN);
- Date of Birth;
- Street address; and
- ZIP or five-digit postal code.
If you were filing a joint tax return, either spouse could access the portal by providing their own information for security questions used to verify a taxpayer’s identity. Once verified, the same payment status was displayed for both spouses.
If you submit information that does not match IRS records three times in a 24 hour period, you have been locked out of the portal for 24 hours. You were also blocked if you previously accessed the system five times within a 24-hour period.
For third-round dunning checks, the “Get My Payment” tool displayed one of the following:
1. Payment status. If you received this message, a payment has been issued. The status page showed a payment date, payment method (direct deposit or mail), and account information if paying by direct deposit.
2. Need more information. This message displayed if your 2020 tax return was processed but the IRS did not have your bank account information and your payment had not yet been issued. It may also mean that your payment was mailed back to the IRS as undeliverable.
3. Payment status not available. This meant that the IRS had not yet processed your payment, it did not have enough information to issue you a payment, or you were not eligible for a payment.
Some of the states issuing refunds have similar online tools where you can track the status of your payment by state.
