The deadline to claim missing 2021 stimulus payments (the third check) via a tax return was April 15, 2025. For the 2020 (first and second) payments, the deadline to claim was May 17, 2024. If you missed these deadlines, you can likely no longer claim the payments as the three-year statutory period for refunds has expired.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount. According to the IRS, you should file a 2020 tax return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.
If you haven't claimed the third economic impact payment yet, now is your time to do so. April 15, 2025, will be the last opportunity to claim the third payment.
It is now too late; the deadline to use the recovery rebate credit for the 2020 stimulus was in 2024; the deadline to get the recovery rebate credit for 2021 was April 15, 2025.
What you need to do
The IRS 7-year rule primarily applies to keeping records for claiming a deduction for bad debts or losses from worthless securities, allowing a longer period to file for a credit or refund, but it's not a universal audit limit; it's often a recommended safe buffer for general record-keeping, with the standard IRS audit period usually being 3 years, extending to 6 years for substantial income omission (over 25%) or foreign income issues, and indefinitely for fraud.
To check if you're owed a past stimulus payment, use the IRS.gov website to access your online account and view payment records, or if you missed a payment, see if you're eligible to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 or 2021 tax return, as the "Get My Payment" tool is no longer active for checking status, but the IRS has issued all primary payments.
How much money will eligible taxpayers receive? Payments will vary but the maximum amount will be $1,400 per individual. In total, the IRS will be distributing about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who failed to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.
Claim Your 2021 Stimulus Payment Before the April 15, 2025 Deadline.
The “Where's My Stimulus Payment?" tool on IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest way for a taxpayer to check the status of a stimulus check and receive instructions on how to update his or her address. Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234- 2942.
The latest date, by law, you can claim a credit or federal income tax refund for a specific tax year is generally the later of these 2 dates: 3 years from the date you filed your federal income tax return, or. 2 years from the date you paid the tax.
U.S. Treasury Checks
That means that if you receive a tax refund check or a stimulus check, you would still be entitled to the money the government owes after that one-year mark, but you would need to contact the check issuer and ask for a new one if that time has passed.
Stimulus checks – The period to claim unpaid Economic Impact Payments has ended. In December 2024, the IRS sent payments to people who didn't receive them or claim the Recovery Rebate credit by April 2025. Read about the IRS' payments of the recovery rebate credit.
You can qualify for a stimulus payment even if you don't work or have earned income. Usually, married couples qualify to receive a $2,400 stimulus payment, while individuals normally qualify to get $1,200. People with qualifying children under age 17 can get up to an additional $500 for each child.
A big reason you won't qualify for a stimulus payment (or economic-impact payment, as the IRS calls it) is that you make too much money. You won't get a stimulus check if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is greater than: $80,000, if your filing status was single or married and filing separately.
Yes, it is too late to claim any COVID-19 stimulus money, as the final deadline to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit (the third stimulus payment) passed on April 15, 2025, and earlier deadlines for the first two payments also expired. The IRS only allows a three-year window to file for refunds and credits, meaning you can no longer claim these missed payments by filing old tax returns.
The IRS is no longer mailing third stimulus checks automatically. If you haven't received your third stimulus check by mail, you must file a 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025, to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail it to the IRS.
You're eligible for the full recovery rebate credit with up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income as a single filer or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly for 2021.
The only way to receive missing stimulus money was by claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit on your U.S. tax return for the year the payment related to: The first and second stimulus payments (2020) had to be claimed on a 2020 tax return filed by May 17, 2024.
The third stimulus check was approved as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion relief bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021. It was a Democratic-led effort, passed without Republican support, providing $1,400 direct payments to eligible individuals.
To track your past stimulus payments, you can check your IRS online account for total amounts or, if you're missing payments, file a tax return claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit, as the official "Get My Payment" tool is no longer active for the original stimulus rounds but your account shows records, using your Social Security Number (SSN) for access and verification.
No, the IRS is not currently sending out new $1400 stimulus checks in 2026, but they did wrap up sending out final automatic payments for unclaimed 2021 Recovery Rebate Credits in late 2024/early 2025, with the deadline to claim these missed payments passing on April 15, 2025; new checks would require new Congressional action, and any texts about current stimulus payments are scams, say FOX 5 DC, CNBC, and IRS.gov.
A million tax filers got letters from the IRS in December indicating they had money coming to them because they were eligible to receive the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit but didn't claim it on their 2021 federal tax return. Those checks were sent out by late January, the IRS says.