If you did not receive your $1,400 third stimulus check (Economic Impact Payment) from 2021, you may still be able to claim it as a 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, but you must file a 2021 tax return. The deadline to claim this missing payment was April 15, 2025, according to IRS sources.
If you did not receive your stimulus check, verify your eligibility using the IRS Get My Payment tool. Ensure your tax return for the relevant year was filed correctly, as the IRS uses this information to issue payments. If eligible but unpaid, you may claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your next tax return.
The IRS typically only allows you to file an old return and get a refund within three years, so April 15, 2025, was the last chance to get any outstanding 2021 credit.
If you haven't claimed the third economic impact payment yet, now is your time to do so. April 15, 2025, will be the last opportunity to claim the third payment.
You can't track a current $1400 stimulus check, as all three rounds of Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) are finished, but you can check your IRS Online Account for past payment amounts and use the Recovery Rebate Credit page if you missed yours and need to claim it on your 2020 or 2021 tax return, though deadlines have passed for claiming those credits. The Get My Payment tool is no longer active for tracking; you must use your online IRS account to view your payment history.
No, the IRS is not issuing new $1400 stimulus checks; the final pandemic-era payments for the Recovery Rebate Credit (the third stimulus) were sent out by early 2025 to eligible people who missed them by filing their 2021 return by the April 2025 deadline. While payments were made in late 2024 and early 2025, that was the final opportunity, and any current claims of new stimulus checks are likely scams or misinformation, as Congress has not approved any new federal stimulus programs.
However, the deadline to claim the 2021 stimulus check is still open until June 15, 2025.
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.
To check for unclaimed stimulus checks, access your IRS online account, as the main period to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit ended in April 2025, but you can see payment info; for other potential unclaimed funds (like state refunds or dormant accounts), search the free unclaimed.org (NAUPA) or MissingMoney.com, which link to official state databases for free searches.
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.
You can no longer claim the $1400 stimulus payment (the third Economic Impact Payment) because the deadline to file a 2021 tax return to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit was April 15, 2025, and that deadline has passed. While the IRS issued some payments automatically in late 2024/early 2025 to those who hadn't filed, the opportunity to claim missing amounts by filing a return is over.
The 2021 stimulus payments were worth up to $1,400 per individual, or $2,800 per married couple. A family of four could receive up to $5,600 with two eligible dependents.
Those with questions can call the stimulus check hotline at 1-800-919- 9835.
Economic Impact Payments (Stimulus Checks)
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you did not receive the first or second Economic Impact Payment, or received a partial payment, you can still claim your full amount.
You can view the status of your payment on the IRS Get My Payment page. You may need information from your 2018 or 2019 tax return. You will be able to check your payment status and method, as well as provide direct deposit information if that option is available.
"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.
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.
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.
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