New Batch of $4 Billion in Stimulus Checks Went Out – Here is Who Gets Them and How to Track Them

Stimulus checks from the American Rescue Plan are still going out and this latest batch totaled over $4 billion in money heading to Americans. Here is who receives the latest batch of stimulus money and how to track it, if it is coming to you.

Twelfth Batch – $4 Billion in Stimulus Checks Going Out

This is the twelfth batch of the American Rescue Plan payments. The official payment dates are through July 21 so you may already have the payment. If not, check further down the page to see how you can track your payments.

Here is Who This Round of Stimulus Payments is Going To

This round is headed to the following people: bolding mine

• In total, this includes about 2.2 million payments with a value of more than $4 billion.
• About 1.3 million payments, with a value of approximately $2.6 billion, went to eligible individuals for whom the IRS previously did not have information to issue an Economic Impact Payment but who recently filed a tax return. 
• This also includes additional ongoing supplemental payments for people who earlier this year received payments based on their 2019 tax returns but are eligible for a new or larger payment based on their recently processed 2020 tax returns.
  • In the last six weeks, there were more than 900,000 of these “plus-up” payments, with a value of more than $1.6 billion.
  • In all, the IRS has made more than 9 million of these supplemental payments this year worth approximately $18.5 billion.

This most recent batch includes the past six weeks of payments rather than a bi-weekly total like the IRS normally gives. This is likely an indication that this may be one of the last rounds to go out of the 3rd round of stimulus checks. There have already been 171 million payments that have gone out so there may not be that many eligible recipients left. This equals over $400 billion in total stimulus payments for the American Rescue Plan.

This latest round is going to those who have recently had tax returns filed and processed. With the extension of the tax deadline being May 17, I would imagine that the bulk of these payments are going to those who filed near the end of that deadline. The IRS has been very backed up with millions of returns that had not been processed even just a couple of weeks ago. It is likely that the majority of these recent payments went to those who recently had their returns processed.

This payment batch covers those who’s 2020 return showed that they were eligible for payments or additional, meaning if they had a child in 2020 and/or their income dropped into the range of $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for couples filing jointly.

This batch is also going to those who filed a tax return even if they were not required as the IRS may not have had the information for those individuals. If you are one of those individuals and you have not received anything nor did you file, check the bottom section for the information from the IRS so you can know if you should file now.

Tracking Your Stimulus Payment

What to Look for in the Mail

So, this is what you need to look for if you are getting a prepaid debit card. Many of the payments that are not direct deposits will be sent by check but be on the lookout for the envelope below in case you receive a prepaid debit card.

The Visa debit cards are issued by MetaBank.

The check will be a normal check from the IRS.

Track Your Payment

Now that you know how the money is going out, the next step is finding out how your payment is/did go out. The trick for that is going to the IRS Get My Payment website. This will give you all the information about how your payment was made and when it went out.

To find out for sure, click this link to go to the IRS status tool. What you will need is your social security number, your birthdate, your address, and zip code. Right after entering that, it will give you a status message about your money. Below is what I saw with my status.

Status Messages

If you do not see it saying that the money will be deposited, you can check back each day as this tool is updated once per day. It will tell you if the money has been scheduled for deposit, a check sent out, or a debit card sent. If you do not recognize the bank account number shown, you will have to wait a little longer. The money will bounce back and you will eventually be issued a check or prepaid debit card.

Remember that the tool above will not let you make any changes to how you receive your payment. So, what the IRS has on file will be what they attempt to send it to.

Payment Status:

• A payment has been processed, a payment date is available and payment is to be sent either by direct deposit or mail. Note: mail means you may be issued an EIP Card or a check.

or

• You’re eligible, but a payment has not been processed and a payment date is not yet available.

It will not show the amount of your 2021 Economic Impact Payment.

Payment Status Not Available: We haven’t yet processed your payment or you’re not eligible for a payment.

Need More Information: Your payment was returned to the IRS because the Postal Service was unable to deliver it. Only people who get this message can use the tool to give us bank account information.

Get help with this tool in Get My Payment Frequently Asked Questions.

Track Your Payment in the Mail

If you see that your stimulus payment was sent out as a check or debit card, the next step is to set it up to track your money through the USPS. They have a handy tool that makes this easy.

Link: Sign-Up for the Free Informed Delivery by USPS

While the Get My Payment tool can tell you when a check was mailed, it does not give you a delivery date. Also, there are some people that have had their checks stolen out of their mailboxes.

This great USPS tool is called Informed Delivery by USPS. This is a free service that you can setup that will send you an e-mail each weekday morning with the mail that you will be receiving. It delivers electronically a greyscale image of the front of each envelope that is set to be delivered to you.

This is accomplished through the automated scanning equipment the USPS uses for mail processing. Any mail that would go through this automated process will be sent as an image to your e-mail.

You can sign-up easily enough and verify your identity. But, it will take 3 business days for this process to be complete so if you do it today, you likely won’t have any notifications delivered before Wednesday or Thursday.

The below is a reminder from the IRS

Special reminder for those who don’t normally file a tax return

Although payments are automatic for most people, the IRS continues to urge people who don’t normally file a tax return and haven’t received Economic Impact Payments to file a 2020 tax return to get all the benefits they’re entitled to under the law, including tax credits such as the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Filing a 2020 tax return will also assist the IRS in determining whether someone is eligible for an advance payment of the 2021 Child Tax Credit, which will begin to be disbursed this summer.

For example, some federal benefits recipients may need to file a 2020 tax return – even if they don’t usually file – to provide information the IRS needs to send payments for a qualifying dependent. Eligible individuals in this group should file a 2020 tax return as quickly as possible to be considered for an additional payment for their qualifying dependents.

People who don’t normally file a tax return and don’t receive federal benefits may qualify for these Economic Impact Payments. This includes those experiencing homelessness, the rural poor, and others. Individuals who didn’t get a first or second round Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amounts may be eligible for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, but they’ll need to file a 2020 tax return. See the special section on IRS.gov: Claiming the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit if you aren’t required to file a tax return.

Bottom Line

The IRS is going at a very fast pace at getting the different rounds out of the American Rescue Plan payments. While the first stimulus payments last year took months, it has been a little more than two months since the first payments went out from the ARP and already the IRS has issued 171 million payments, totaling over $400 billion.

If you are in the group above, you should be able to receive your payment this week. If you recently had your 2020 tax return processed and your income had changed from last year or you had a new child, chances are you may be getting one of these new payments.