No, you generally cannot get a 2020 stimulus check anymore, as the deadline to claim the associated Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return (for the first and second checks) passed on April 15, 2024, and the IRS has completed issuing payments. While the IRS sent some final payments for those who claimed the credit by the April 2025 deadline, the opportunity to file a return to claim missing 2020 stimulus payments is over.
The stimulus payments were only disbursed for tax year 2020 and 2021. If you did not receive the stimulus payments from those tax years it is no to late to apply as the eligibility ended after April 15, 2025.
You claim the credit on your 2020 tax return if you didn't get the full amount through stimulus payments, and it's based on your 2020 tax information. The credit amount is determined by your filing status, number of qualifying children, previous Economic Impact Payments received, and adjusted gross income.
Stimulus checks were sent out back in 2020 as part of COVID relief. In 2021, the Recovery Rebate Credit was available to claim on your return if you didn't receive your stimulus checks. Both of those initiatives have ended.
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.
Stimulus payments, called “Recovery Rebate Credits” by the IRS, were issued in 2020 and 2021. Individuals who didn't receive their 2021 payment had until April 15, 2025, to file or amend a tax return and claim a missing payment. That deadline has now passed.
2021 Credit (Third Stimulus Payment):
Up to $1,400 per eligible adult. Claim deadline: April 15, 2025 (expired)
Single adults who reported a 2019 tax return with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less are eligible to receive $600. Married couples who filed jointly with an adjusted gross income of up to $150,000 will qualify to receive $1,200. Families with children under 17 will receive an additional $600 for each child.
First Stimulus Check
If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else's 2019 tax return (see Q C6), you were not eligible for a stimulus check. However, if that changed in 2020 and you met the other eligibility requirements, you could claim the credit on your 2020 federal tax return (which you file in 2021).
Normally, a taxpayer will qualify for the full amount of Economic Impact Payment if they have AGI of up to $75,000 for singles and married persons filing a separate return, up to $112,500 for heads of household, and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns and surviving spouses.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes a third round of stimulus checks. The payments are an advance of a temporary credit for 2021 (which you file taxes for in 2022). The payment is worth up to $1,400 for each eligible adult and each qualifying dependent in a household.
First and Second Stimulus Check
You will need to file a tax return for Tax Year 2020 (which you file in 2021). The deadline to file your taxes was last October 15, 2021. If you missed the October 2021 filing deadline, you can still file your tax return to get your first and second stimulus checks.
Securely access your IRS online account to view the total of your first, second and third Economic Impact Payment amounts under the Tax Records page. You can no longer use the Get My Payment application to check your payment status.
When is the deadline to receive a stimulus check? The IRS typically only allows you to file an old return and get a refund within three years, so April 15, 2025, was the last chance to get any outstanding 2021 credit.
What you need to do
Didn't get the full first and second payments? Claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit. You may be eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit by filing a 2020 tax return. For the latest updates, check IRS.gov/coronavirus.
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.
If you didn't and you are not required to file a tax return, the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here is a free IRS tool that allows you to easily and quickly provide information about yourself and your family. The IRS will use this information to determine your eligibility and send you an Economic Impact Payment.