Eligibility for the second stimulus check ($600 per individual/child) was primarily based on 2019 tax return data, focusing on U.S. citizens or residents with a valid Social Security number who were not claimed as dependents. Full payments went to individuals with an adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples).
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.
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.
There are no new federal stimulus checks being issued as of January 2026; the last payments were in 2021, but eligible individuals could still claim missing funds (up to $1,400) through the Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) by filing 2020 or 2021 tax returns by April 2025. Eligibility for those past checks was based on income (e.g., under $75k single, $150k married for the third round) and having a valid Social Security Number. For current or future payments, new legislation is required, though there's discussion of potential "tariff dividends".
Taxpayers who've already checked the status of their stimulus check with the IRS Get My Payment tool and received the "Payment Status #2 – Not Available" message will not automatically receive a second check. Instead, they must wait until they file their 2020 tax returns to get the payment.
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if you're eligible to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 or 2021 tax return, as the "Get My Payment" tool is no longer active for checking status, but the IRS has issued all primary payments.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 first Economic Impact Payment was $1,200 ($2,400 if married filing jointly) plus $500 for each qualifying child you had in 2020; and. the second Economic Impact Payment was $600 ($1,200 if married filing jointly) plus $600 for each qualifying child you had in 2020.
The stimulus amount is dependent on your adjusted gross income. In order to qualify for the full $1,400, the taxpayers' annual income must not have been more than $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Your family income must be under 200% of the federal poverty level. For a own family of four, that's kind of $62,400 consistent with year. Applications closed in advance in 2025, and only 200 households were picked via a random lottery. You also can't be enrolled in every other guaranteed income program.
For the third stimulus check, any household member that has an SSN qualifies for a payment. This is different than the first and second stimulus check, where at least one tax filer must have an SSN for the household to claim the stimulus checks.
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.
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.
The Internal Revenue Service has been sending out the second round of stimulus payments that were part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act of 2021.
Generally, if you were a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien in 2021, you were not a dependent of another taxpayer, and you either have a valid SSN or claim a dependent who has a valid SSN or ATIN, you are eligible to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit.
The Second Round of Stimulus Checks
Those payments typically totaled $600 per person, or $1,200 for married individuals, plus $600 for each qualifying child. The payments began phasing out at the same income levels as the current payments, but the maximum income levels to receive a payment were slightly higher.
You can view the status of your payment on the IRS Get My Payment 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.
If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you will automatically qualify for the third stimulus check which will be in the amount $1400.
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.
You can get the first and second stimulus check as part of your tax refund after you file a 2020 federal tax return. You can file a tax return even if you don't have a filing requirement to get other tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit.
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.
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.