The deadline to claim the first and second stimulus checks (2020 Recovery Rebate Credit) was May 17, 2024. As of late 2024/2025, it is too late to file or amend a 2020 tax return to claim these specific payments. The IRS has already issued all first and second stimulus checks.
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.
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.
If you didn't get the full amounts of the first and second Economic Impact Payments, you may be eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2020 tax return – even if you don't usually file taxes - to claim it.
File A 2021 Tax Return If You Haven't Already
You must submit a 2021 Form 1040 (or 1040-SR for seniors) to claim the credit, even if you have little or no income and don't usually file taxes. The IRS explicitly urges eligible non-filers to file a return by April 15, 2025, to get their $1,400 credit.
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.
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.
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.
Second round of direct payments: December 2020-January 2021
Those who earned under $75,000 in the 2019 tax year received the full stimulus check, while a steadily smaller figure was given to those on a higher annual income, up to a maximum phase-out limit of $87,000.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount.
April 15th is Tax Day for 2024 returns but it also marks a three-year deadline to claim any tax refunds or in this case, the $1,400 Recovery Rebate Credit for that year — 2021.
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 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.
To claim an EIP from Round 1 or 2 (2020), claim any amount you were eligible for, but did not already receive, on line 30 of your 2020 Income Tax Return, the Recovery Rebate Credit.
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.
The same eligibility rules apply to the second stimulus payment as the first one. You must have a valid Social Security number, and you can't have been claimed as a dependent on someone else's 2019 tax return. In general, taxpayers without an eligible Social Security number are not eligible for the payment.
Between 2021 and 2021, the federal government issued three Economic Impact Payments to help cushion the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The third and final stimulus check went out in the spring of 2021, providing up to $1,400 for individual filers and $2,800 for married couples filing jointly.
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.
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).
The Third Round of Stimulus Checks
Eligible individuals will receive a payment of $1,400 ($2,800 for married couples), plus an additional $1,400 per eligible child.
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.
"There is no penalty for failure to file if a refund is due. However, a return claiming a refund must be filed within three years of its due date for a refund to be allowed," the IRS noted, meaning that the last day to claim the money is April 15, 2025.