To claim a missing 3rd stimulus check, you must file or amend a 2021 federal tax return to claim the "Recovery Rebate Credit" by the April 15, 2025 deadline. If you were eligible for the $1,400 payment (plus $1,400 per dependent) but did not receive it, you must report this amount on Line 30 of your 2021 Form 1040.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount.
Third Stimulus Check
If you received the stimulus payment in 2021, you should have an IRS letter “Notice 1444-C” showing the amount you received so you can record it on your tax return.
On the 2021 return, there is a line for the Recovery Rebate Credit. If you use tax software, it will ask questions about your stimulus payment and help you figure out the credit. If you were eligible for $1,400 (plus $1,400 for each eligible dependent) and didn't receive it, you claim that exact amount as a credit.
However, the deadline to claim the 2021 stimulus check is still open until June 15, 2025.
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.
This page contains archived information for 2021 Taxes only. You were only able to claim the third stimulus payment by filing a 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025 and this has now expired. You can no longer claim the first or second stimulus payment(s) on a 2020 or tax return since that expired on May 17, 2024.
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.
While speculation about a fourth stimulus check has surfaced on social media and unverified websites, there has been no official confirmation from Congress or the IRS to support this claim and any such news should be taken with caution as it could be misinformation or attempted fraud.
The legislation will give single adults who reported adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less on their 2019 tax returns a one-time check for $1,200. Married couples who filed jointly will receive $2,400. Families will get an additional $500 for each child under 17.
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).
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.
In mid-March 2021, millions of Americans received a third stimulus payment via direct deposit, with additional rounds of payments following in the weeks after by direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card.
Yes, if you didn't file taxes, you could still be eligible for stimulus payments (Economic Impact Payments) by claiming them as the Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on a 2020 or 2021 tax return, even if you weren't otherwise required to file, using the IRS Free File program or a VITA site to file a return to get your missing stimulus funds. The IRS sent initial payments based on prior year returns, but you needed to file a tax return for the specific year (2020 or 2021) to claim any missed amounts or payments for dependents, notes the IRS.
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.
Generally, if you were a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien in 2021, you were not a dependent of another taxpayer, and you either have a valid SSN or claim a dependent who has a valid SSN or ATIN, you are eligible to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.
If you're on SSDI, you've likely received past stimulus checks automatically. Right now, there's no new stimulus in 2025, but history shows that SSDI beneficiaries have been included in relief programs. If another round is ever approved, you can expect to qualify as long as you meet income rules.
Check the Status of Your Economic Impact Payment
What is the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025? Hawley's bill, called the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025, would provide a minimum of $600 per adult and dependent child, or $2,400 for a family of four, according to news officials.
After the three-year refund window closes, the funds expire and cannot be issued. If you filed on time but didn't receive the credit, the IRS issued some automatic corrections in late 2024 and early 2025. If you still haven't received anything, it generally means you were either ineligible or your claim was denied.
Historical content – the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit
The deadline to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for the first and second stimulus checks was May 17, 2024. While you can no longer claim these payments, below describes who may have needed to file to get these stimulus checks.
To have claimed missing first and second stimulus checks, individuals needed to have filed a 2020 tax return by May 17, 2024. The time to file or amend a 2020 tax return to claim these payments has passed.
If you didn't get the full amount of the third Economic Impact Payment, you may be eligible to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2021 tax return – even if you don't usually file taxes - to claim it.
The opportunities to claim or file for the first stimulus payment (issued in March and April 2020) or the second stimulus check (issued by Jan. 15, 2021) or the third stimulus check (issued between March and December 2021) have now passed.
Eligibility for the $1400 third stimulus check (Economic Impact Payment) was based on your 2019 or 2020 tax information, requiring you to be a U.S. citizen/resident with a valid Social Security Number (SSN), not a dependent, and within certain income limits (AGI up to $75k single, $150k married). The payment provided $1,400 for eligible individuals and an additional $1,400 for each qualifying dependent, including adult dependents, regardless of age, as long as they had a valid SSN or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN). If you missed it, you could claim it as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return (filed in 2022).