As of early 2025, there are no new federal stimulus checks approved, but you may be missing funds from the third round (2021). The deadline to claim missing 2021 stimulus payments (as the Recovery Rebate Credit) was April 15, 2025. If you missed this deadline, the funds likely cannot be claimed. If you filed on time but haven't received payment, check your IRS Online Account.
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.
"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.
Collect your 2020 stimulus check by filing your taxes through GetYourRefund! Check the status of your stimulus check on the IRS Get My Payment website.
If you missed your 2021 stimulus payment, there Is still time to claim it. The deadline to file for the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit and receive your stimulus payment is April 15, 2025.
You can't get a physical "stimulus check" now, as the IRS issued them all, but you might claim missing funds as a Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on your 2020 or 2021 tax return by filing by the April 2025 deadline; you need to file a 2020 return for 1st/2nd payments and a 2021 return for the 3rd, even if you don't usually file, using IRS Free File or tax software to claim it as part of your refund. Check your IRS online account for payment records and use IRS.gov for resources to file.
In response to Executive Order 14247, “Modernizing Payments to and From America's Bank Account,” the IRS is making a swift transition away from sending or receiving paper checks. For the most part, the IRS will stop issuing tax refunds in the form of paper checks after September 30, 2025.
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.
After logging into your account, you can find stimulus check information in the "tax records" section under the "records and status" toolbar. You can also check the "tax records" section to see if you filed a return for 2021.
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.
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. You cannot file electronically.
Stimulus payments
Single taxpayers with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or below. Taxpayers filing as heads of household with AGIs of $112,500 or below. Married couples filing jointly with AGIs of $150,000 or below.
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.
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.
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.
Check the Status of Your Economic Impact Payment
You can't get a physical "stimulus check" now, as the IRS issued them all, but you might claim missing funds as a Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) on your 2020 or 2021 tax return by filing by the April 2025 deadline; you need to file a 2020 return for 1st/2nd payments and a 2021 return for the 3rd, even if you don't usually file, using IRS Free File or tax software to claim it as part of your refund. Check your IRS online account for payment records and use IRS.gov for resources to file.
If you're on SSDI, you've likely received past stimulus checks automatically. Right now, there's no new stimulus in 2025, but history shows that SSDI beneficiaries have been included in relief programs. If another round is ever approved, you can expect to qualify as long as you meet income rules.
The third stimulus check was approved as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion relief bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in March 2021. It was a Democratic-led effort, passed without Republican support, providing $1,400 direct payments to eligible individuals.
Rumors of a universal $ 3000 check from the IRS have gained traction on social media, but these claims are not true. As of 2025, there is no federal program authorizing a new $ 3000 stimulus, rebate, or automatic payment to all Americans.
On March 25, 2025, the President signed Executive Order (EO) 14247 and EO 14249, directing the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) to modernize the government's payment infrastructure and enhance its ability to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.