If you didn't get a stimulus check (Economic Impact Payment), you typically need to claim it as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your federal tax return for the relevant year (2020 or 2021), as the IRS has already issued most payments, so you won't call a general hotline but rather file to get it, often using the IRS Free File Program or contacting your state's tax agency for state-specific issues.
What if my stimulus money was issued, but was lost, stolen or destroyed? You can start a payment trace by calling the IRS at 800-919-9835.
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.
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.
For questions about a business tax return, call 1-800-829-4933, 7 AM - 7 PM Monday through Friday local time. Find your local IRS office.
You must also call the IRS Collections Department at 1-800-829-7650. It's a free call.
If you didn't receive the most recent stimulus payment, you can claim it when you file your 2021 tax return.
Most recently, these rounds occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021, when the government sent up to $1,200, $600 and $1,400 per person to eligible taxpayers as part of economic relief laws.
Can I still claim missing first and second stimulus payments? To have claimed missing first and second stimulus checks, individuals needed to have filed a 2020 tax return by May 17, 2024. The time to file or amend a 2020 tax return to claim these payments has passed.
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.
A big reason you won't qualify for a stimulus payment (or economic-impact payment, as the IRS calls it) is that you make too much money. You won't get a stimulus check if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is greater than: $80,000, if your filing status was single or married and filing separately.
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.
Claim Your 2021 Stimulus Payment Before the April 15, 2025 Deadline.
Yes, the IRS announced in late 2024 it would send up to $1,400 to about 1 million taxpayers who missed claiming the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit (third stimulus payment) by automatically issuing payments via direct deposit or paper check, using 2023 tax return info, with most expected by early 2025; eligible individuals who didn't receive these funds might still get them if they filed a 2021 return by the April 15, 2025 deadline. These payments were for those who didn't receive the full third stimulus or didn't claim the credit, with amounts depending on income, filing status, and dependents.
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.
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 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.
The “Where's My Stimulus Payment?" tool on IRS.gov is the quickest and easiest way for a taxpayer to check the status of a stimulus check and receive instructions on how to update his or her address. Taxpayers without internet access should call 1-866-234- 2942.
The Recovery Rebate Credit represented up to $1,400 per person in unclaimed COVID-19 stimulus payments. According to IRS data, approximately $1 billion went unclaimed when the final deadline expired on April 15, 2025. If you're searching for this credit now, the window has permanently closed. No extensions exist.
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.
IRS customer support, which can be reached at 1-800-829-0922, is available Monday through Friday from 7AM to 7PM.
IRS phone number - Call wait times
Per the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) website, the Installment Agreement Request may be filed in one of 3 ways: Online via the Installment Agreement - Apply Online page on the FTB website. Via phone using the Interactive Voice Response system at (800) 689-4776.