You may qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit if you are a U.S. citizen/resident, not a dependent of another taxpayer, and did not receive the full amount of the first, second (2020), or third (2021) Economic Impact Payments. You must file a 2020 or 2021 tax return to claim this credit.
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.
You're eligible for the credit if you're a U.S. citizen or resident alien, not a dependent of another taxpayer, have a valid Social Security number, and didn't receive the full amount of the Economic Impact Payments.
Any family member that has a Social Security number ( SSN ) or dependent (regardless of age) can qualify for the third stimulus check. For example, in a household where both parents have ITINs, and their children have SSNs, the children qualify for stimulus checks, even though the parents don't.
The IRS will send a Letter 6475 in late January, 2022, that lists the stimulus payment amount sent to you. The letter details your information for easy reference—you don't have to file it with your tax return.
Stimulus payments
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.
Check the status of your stimulus check on the IRS Get My Payment website.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount.
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.
However, the payment amounts may vary, according to the IRS. The full credit amount is available to individual taxpayers with up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and to married couples who file jointly with up to $150,000 for 2021.
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.
The IRS allows you to amend returns from the last three years, which sometimes results in delayed or unexpected refund checks. While a few taxpayers are genuinely seeing deposits of $2,000 or $3,000, those refunds are tied to specific past errors or missed credits, not a general program available now.
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. For example, a family of four would receive up to $5,600.
"Looking at our internal data, we realized that one million taxpayers overlooked claiming this complex credit when they were actually eligible," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement. By the end of January, approximately 1 million taxpayers will receive special payments of up to $1,400 from the IRS.
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.
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.
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.
Unfortunately, there is a limit on how far back you can file a tax return to claim tax refunds and tax credits. This IRS only allows you to claim refunds and tax credits within three years of the tax return's original due date.
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.
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 have a Social Security number; AND You are not claimed as a dependent on someone else's taxes; AND You meet the income limits for the stimulus check. WHO QUALIFIES FOR A STIMULUS CHECK? You will get $1,200 if you are single and earn less than $75,000 before taxes.
Your family income must be under 200% of the federal poverty level. For a own family of four, that's kind of $62,400 consistent with year. Applications closed in advance in 2025, and only 200 households were picked via a random lottery. You also can't be enrolled in every other guaranteed income program.
$1,400 for an eligible individual who has a valid Social Security number (SSN) ($2,800 for married couples filing a joint return if both spouses have a valid SSN or if one spouse has a valid SSN and one spouse was an active member of the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the taxable year) plus.