The second stimulus check was authorized in December 2020, with payments issued by the IRS from late December 2020 through January 15, 2021. As part of the $900 billion COVID-19 relief package, these checks provided up to $600 per eligible individual and $600 for each qualifying dependent.
All second stimulus checks were issued by January 15, 2021. If you didn't get a second stimulus check by then (mailed checks may take longer to deliver), you can claim your second stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return. You must file a 2020 tax return by May 17, 2024.
Single adults who reported a 2019 tax return with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less are eligible to receive $600. Married couples who filed jointly with an adjusted gross income of up to $150,000 will qualify to receive $1,200. Families with children under 17 will receive an additional $600 for each child.
Third round of stimulus checks: March 2021
The third payment provided eligible individual taxpayers for a check of up to $1,400, while couples filing jointly could receive a maximum of $2,800.
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.
Some of you may have received a $1,200 payment in April 2020 either in the form of a paper check or a direct deposit into your bank account. A second round of $600 payments is going out in late December 2020/early January 2021. The IRS sends these payments to anyone who filed a resident tax return for 2018 and/or 2019.
You can no longer claim the first or second stimulus payment(s) on a 2020 or tax return since that expired on May 17, 2024. If you did not receive your third stimulus check, this is to be claimed on your 2021 Tax Return as the Recovery Rebate Credit or RRC.
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.
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.
More than half of the payments were sent out in the first three weeks, much faster than similar payments had been issued in previous recessions; however, some households didn't receive their funds until several months later.
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.
First and Second Stimulus Check
You will need to file a tax return for Tax Year 2020 (which you file in 2021). The deadline to file your taxes was last October 15, 2021. If you missed the October 2021 filing deadline, you can still file your tax return to get your first and second stimulus checks.
Between 2021 and 2021, the federal government issued three Economic Impact Payments to help cushion the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The third and final stimulus check went out in the spring of 2021, providing up to $1,400 for individual filers and $2,800 for married couples filing jointly.
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.
How much is the third stimulus check? If you are eligible, you could get up to $1,400 in stimulus payments for each taxpayer in your family plus an additional $1,400 per dependent. That means that a family of four with two children could receive up to $5,600.
The IRS is no longer mailing third stimulus checks automatically. 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.
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 second Economic Impact Payment was $600 ($1,200 if married filing jointly) plus $600 for each qualifying child you had in 2020.
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 can no longer use the Get My Payment application to check your payment status.
Most eligible Americans will receive Economic Impact Payments via direct deposit to the same account used for their most recent tax refund or Social Security payment.
Qualification for the $1,400 stimulus check (the third Economic Impact Payment) in 2021 depended on your 2021 Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and filing status, with full amounts for single filers earning up to $75,000 (phasing out at $80,000) and joint filers up to $150,000 (phasing out at $160,000), plus $1,400 per dependent; you needed a valid Social Security Number and had to claim it as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you missed the payment, with deadlines typically in April 2025.
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.