To claim a stimulus check (Economic Impact Payment) you did not receive, you must file a tax return for the year the payment was issued and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit. File a 2020 Form 1040 for the first/second stimulus, and a 2021 Form 1040 for the third. If the IRS shows it was issued but you never got it, file Form 3911.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount. According to the IRS, you should file a 2020 tax return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.
You should use Form 3911 when you haven't received your stimulus payment, but only after ensuring the IRS has already sent it. First, check your payment status using the IRS's “Where's My Refund?” tool. If the tool shows that your payment was sent but you didn't get it, it's time to file Form 3911.
Form 3911 is completed by the taxpayer to provide the Service with information needed to trace the nonreceipt or loss of the already issued refund check.
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.
What you need to do
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.
This initial check is important because Form 3911 is only helpful if the IRS has processed your tax return and the refund has been issued. If the "Where's My Refund?" tool confirms that your refund was sent, but you haven't received it, it's time to consider filing Form 3911.
To claim an EIP from Round 3 (2021), claim any amount you were eligible for, but did not receive, on line 30 of your 2021 Income Tax Return, the Recovery Rebate Credit. Use the Worksheet on page 59 of the 2021 Form 1040 and Form 1040-SR instructions to determine the exact amount you were eligible for.
2021 Credit (Third Stimulus Payment):
Up to $1,400 per eligible adult. Claim deadline: April 15, 2025 (expired)
File Form 3911 electronically or by mail: - Electronic filing: Use the IRS's Free File service or a paid tax preparation software program. Keep a copy of the completed form for your records.
If you lost your refund check, you should initiate a refund trace: Use Where's My Refund, call us at 800-829-1954 and use the automated system, or speak with a representative by calling 800-829-1040 (see telephone assistance for hours of operation).
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.
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 believe you did not receive the full amount you are eligible for, or your payment was deposited in the wrong account you should call the toll-free number listed in your payment notification letter first at 800-919-9835 to see if you can get your question answered.
Please note: If you didn't receive the first or second stimulus payments, even though you're eligible based on your income, you need to file or amend your Tax Year 2020 returns to receive those payments. Learn more about your options if you need to amend your taxes on the IRS page.
IRS Form 3911 is used to request a refund trace when your tax refund check is lost, stolen, delayed, or misdirected. You should use it if it has been more than 21 days since you e-filed or 6 weeks since you mailed your return, and you haven't received your refund.
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.
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.
Claim Your 2021 Stimulus Payment Before the April 15, 2025 Deadline.
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 IRS Typically Has Three Years.
The overarching federal tax statute of limitations runs three years after you file your tax return. If your tax return is due April 15, but you file early, the statute runs exactly three years after the due date, not the filing date.
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.