The House-passed Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act called for more a second round of COVID-19 stimulus checks. The Senate is starting to come around to the idea.
But some folks are still waiting for their original coronavirus economic impact payments (EIPs), which were authorized in late March as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Those initial COVID-19 payments could be as much as $1,200 for qualifying individuals or $2,400 for eligible married couples. Parents also could get $500 for each qualifying child who’s younger than 17 at the end of this year.
For those still waiting for this money, the Internal Revenue Service has added the following four italicized and bold type questions and answers to its online Get My Payment frequently asked questions (FAQ) page.
1. My payment was mailed weeks ago, but the Post Office was unable to deliver it. What should I do?
If you have not received your payment within 14 days of the payment date, check the Get My Payment tool periodically. If the IRS receives your payment back because the Post Office was unable to deliver it, the IRS will update your payment status on the Get My Payment tool to “Need More Information,” at which point you will be able to enter your bank account information.
If you don’t provide your bank account information, then the IRS will hold your EIP until it receives your updated address. To update your address, go to the IRS’ webpage “Address changes.”
2. My address has changed or is incorrect. What can I do to change or correct it to receive my EIP?
The Get My Payment tool will not allow you to change your address. If you need to change your address, go to the IRS’ webpage “Address changes.”
If the IRS receives your payment back because the Post Office was unable to deliver it, the IRS will update your payment status to “Need More Information,” at which point you will be able to enter your bank account information.
If you don’t provide your bank account information, the IRS will hold your EIP until it receives your updated address.
3. Get My Payment shows that my I was issued but I never received it. How do I get a new one?
If Get My Payment shows your EIP was issued but you have not received it and it has been more than five days since the scheduled deposit date (or more than four weeks since it was mailed by check; six weeks if you have a forwarding address on file with the local post office; nine weeks if you have a foreign address), you should initiate a trace on your EIP by calling the IRS toll-free at (800) 919-9835.
If you call, please be advised that you may experience long wait times or recorded assistance due to limited staffing.
Rather than calling, you may submit Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund. If you submit a Form 3911 and filed your taxes as married filing joint, both spouses must sign the form.
Trace requirements: Before you can request the IRS trace your payment, you must have received one of two payment acknowledgments.
The first is Notice 1444, Your Economic Impact Payment. This is the letter signed by Donald Trump telling you about your EIP. You also could have received a payment date when you checked the Get My Payment online tool.
Check your account: If you’re expecting your EIP via direct deposit, the first tracking move on your part should be at your bank. Make sure the money wasn’t deposited before initiating a trace to verify that the financial institution didn’t receive it.
Do not, says the IRS, request an EIP trace if you are trying to determine eligibility for the EIP or the amount of EIP you should have received.
Processing lost check claims: If you do file a claim for a missing EIP Treasury check, the IRS will process it in one of two ways.
If the check wasn’t cashed, you’ll receive a replacement check once the original check is canceled. If during the replacement process you find the original check and then receive the replacement one, you must return the original as soon as possible.
If the refund check was cashed, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) will provide you with a claim package that includes a copy of the cashed check. You’ll then need to follow the instructions in that package for completing the claim.
BFS will review your claim and the signature on the canceled check before determining whether it can issue you a replacement check.
4. I never received my EIP after it was issued or I received it and it was lost, stolen, or destroyed. Can I initiate a trace on my EIP using Get My Payment?
No. Get My Payment cannot be used to initiate a trace on your EIP.
Debit cards, too: Note that in addition to direct deposit and paper U.S. Treasury checks, the IRS also is issuing prepaid debit cards to some EIP-eligible individual
If you have problems with getting a coronavirus debit card or with this payment method once you’ve received it, you can find debit cards answers in a special section of the IRS stimulus payment FAQ.
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