The third round of Economic Impact Payments was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 as an advance payment of the tax year 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.
No, the third-round Economic Impact Payment (including any plus-up payment that you might have received) is not includible in your gross income. Therefore, you will not include them in your taxable income on your 2021 federal income tax return or pay income tax on the third payment.
Third stimulus checks were merely advance payments of the recovery rebate credit. As a result, your credit for the 2021 tax year will be reduced by the total amount of your third stimulus check (if you got one).
2021 Recovery Rebate Credit: The third round of Economic Impact Payments, including the plus-up payments, were advance payments of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit claimed on a 2021 tax return. The IRS began issuing the third round of Economic Impact Payments in March 2021 and continued through December 2021.
You will need to file a 2020 federal tax return to get the third stimulus check or use GetCTC.org if you don't have a filing requirement. You can also get the first and second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return or GetCTC.org if you are eligible.
Amount and Status of Your Third Payment
You can no longer use the Get My Payment application to check your payment status. To find the amount of the third payment, create or view your online account or refer to IRS Notice 1444-C, which we mailed after sending your payment.
You also won't be required to repay any stimulus check payment when filing your 2021 tax return — even if your third stimulus check is greater than your 2021 credit. If your third stimulus check is less than your 2021 credit, you'll get the difference when you file your 2021 return next year.
If you didn't account for each job across your W-4s, you may not have withheld enough, so your tax refund could be less than expected in 2021. Not factoring eligibility changes for tax credits and deductions: There may be other impacts on your refund due to the credits you can take.
The IRS instructions for this year's 1040 form state, in part: "Any economic impact payments you received are not taxable for federal income tax purposes."
If you're used to getting a refund, having to cut a check to the IRS can really throw you for a loop. A tax bill really just boils down to simple math: You owe more taxes than you paid throughout the year. That usually means you didn't have enough money withheld from your paycheck to cover taxes.
If you were eligible to receive the first or second stimulus check and it never arrived, you'll need to claim it as a Recovery Credit Rebate on your 2020 taxes this year, even if you don't usually file taxes. Alternatively, you may have to start an IRS payment trace.
President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021. Provisions in the bill authorized a third round of stimulus checks worth $1,400 for each eligible person ($2,800 for couples), plus an additional $1,400 for each dependent.
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. If you didn't receive the most recent stimulus payment, you can claim it when you file your 2021 tax return.
The person is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. resident alien, or a resident of Canada or Mexico. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,200 for 2019 tax returns or $4,300 for 2020 tax returns. (Exceptions exist if the person is disabled.)
In 2021, the average refund was $2,959 by the same date. People who expect a big refund tend to file early, so the average for the 2022 tax season may be lower. Still, there are several reasons many taxpayers could get a larger refund this year.
The American Rescue Plan, signed into law on March 11, 2021, expanded the Child Tax Credit for 2021 to get more help to more families. It has gone from $2,000 per child in 2020 to $3,600 for each child under age 6. For each child ages 6 to 16, it's increased from $2,000 to $3,000.
Many will be getting smaller-than-expected refunds, tax preparers say. Under the American Rescue Plan passed last year, two types of payments ended up in many folks' mailboxes or bank accounts: The 2021 tax credit was enhanced and paid partially in advance to 36 million families.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (American Rescue Plan), enacted in early March 2021, provided Economic Impact Payments of up to $1,400 for eligible individuals or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 for each qualifying dependent, including adult dependents.
The IRS says it is no longer deploying $1,400 stimulus checks and plus-up payments that were due to qualifying Americans in 2021. However, there may still be people eligible for those checks, or additional funds, once they file their returns this tax season.
The IRS will automatically send a third stimulus payment to people who filed a 2019 or 2020 federal income tax return. People who receive Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement benefits, or veterans benefits will receive a third payment automatically, too.
Use the IRS Get My Payment tool to track stimulus money
For the third stimulus check: It's worth visiting the IRS' online portal designed to track the status of your 2021 payment. Generally, it should tell you when your check will be processed and how you'll receive it: for example, as a paper check in the mail.
You must file a return to claim the credit, even if you don't usually file a tax return. The credit is based on your 2021 tax year information, so any third Economic Impact Payments you received will reduce the amount of the credit you're eligible for.
The 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit includes up to an additional $1,400 for each qualifying dependent you claim on your 2021 tax return. A qualifying dependent is a dependent who has a valid Social Security number or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the IRS.
You may claim a 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit for the qualifying dependent, if you're eligible, on your 2021 tax return that you will file in 2022. To claim a person as a dependent on your tax return, that person must be your qualifying child or qualifying relative.