The 3rd stimulus check was signed into law on March 11, 2021, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The IRS began issuing these payments of up to $ 1 , 400 $ 1 , 4 0 0 per eligible individual (or $ 2 , 800 $ 2 , 8 0 0 for married couples) on March 12, 2021, with most payments distributed throughout that year.
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.
The 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was signed into law in March of 2020. The initial stimulus payment provided up to $1,200 per qualifying adult and up to $500 per qualifying dependent. Most of these payments went out to recipients in mid-2020.
Paper checks started getting mailed on December 30, 2020, and the IRS has sent out approximately eight million prepaid debit cards loaded with the federal stimulus payments. You can follow up on the status of both your first and second checks by using the “Get My Payment” portal.
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.
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.
Historical content – the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit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.
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.
2021 Credit (Third Stimulus Payment):
Up to $1,400 per eligible adult. Claim deadline: April 15, 2025 (expired)
What to know. The Internal Revenue Service is sending out $2.4 billion in stimulus payments to approximately 1 million eligible taxpayers who didn't receive 2021 COVID recovery relief payments.
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.
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.
However, the deadline to claim the 2021 stimulus check is still open until June 15, 2025.
If you didn't get the full amount of the third Economic Impact Payment, you may be eligible to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2021 tax return – even if you don't usually file taxes - to claim it.
You can't track a new stimulus check because the IRS has issued all three rounds of Economic Impact Payments, but if you're missing one, check your IRS Online Account for past payment amounts or see if you qualify to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 or 2021 tax return. Use the IRS Online Account to view your total payment amounts, or visit the Recovery Rebate Credit page on IRS.gov for details on claiming missing payments.
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.
Any family member that has a Social Security number ( SSN ) or dependent (regardless of age) can qualify for the third stimulus check. For example, in a household where both parents have ITINs, and their children have SSNs, the children qualify for stimulus checks, even though the parents don't.
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.
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.