Economic Impact Payments ended in 2021 and are not currently available

The IRS issued three rounds of Economic Impact Payments (often called stimulus checks) between March 2020 and December 2021. The first payment went out in spring 2020, the second in December 2020 and January 2021, and the third between March and December 2021. No new payments have been issued since then, and none are scheduled to resume.

If you did not receive a payment you believe you were may have access to to, you may still be able to claim it on your tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit. This is a one-time option available only for the three payments that were issued. The important date to claim this credit on your 2021 tax return has passed, but you can still file an amended return for earlier years if you missed the credit then.

Key Takeaways

  • Three rounds of Economic Impact Payments were issued between March 2020 and December 2021; no new rounds are planned.
  • If you did not receive a payment you were may have access to to, you can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return for the year the payment should have been issued.
  • You can file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to claim the credit for prior years if you missed it when you originally filed.
  • The IRS has no record of sending you a payment if your address was wrong when the payment was mailed, so check your payment status before assuming you did not receive one.

How the three payment rounds worked

The first payment, authorized under the CARES Act in March 2020, sent $1,200 to most adults and $500 per child. The second payment, authorized in December 2020, sent $600 per adult and $600 per child. The third payment, authorized in March 2021, sent $1,400 per adult and $1,400 per child. Each round had income limits that determined who received the full amount, a reduced amount, or nothing.

The IRS issued these payments in multiple waves over several months in each round. Some people received them by direct deposit, others by check or debit card, depending on the payment method the IRS had on file from prior tax returns. The IRS did not send advance notice of the payments; people learned about them through news coverage or when the money arrived.

Checking whether you received your payments

The IRS maintains a record of each payment it issued. You can see what the IRS sent to you by visiting the IRS website and using the "Get My Payment" tool, which shows the payment amount, the date it was issued, and the method (direct deposit, check, or debit card). This tool is still available even though payments are no longer being issued.

If the tool shows a payment was issued but you never received it, the most common reason is that your mailing address was incorrect when the check was sent. Checks issued more than three years ago cannot be reissued; you would need to claim the credit on your tax return instead. If a payment was issued by direct deposit to a closed account, the bank should have returned it to the IRS, but this does not always happen reliably.

Claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit if you missed a payment

The Recovery Rebate Credit is a tax credit that lets you claim any Economic Impact Payment you did not receive. You claim it on your tax return for the year the payment was supposed to be issued. For example, if you did not receive the third payment (issued in 2021), you claim the credit on your 2021 tax return.

To claim the credit, you need to know how much you should have received based on your income and household size for that year. The IRS will have sent you a notice (Form 6419 or similar) if you received any of the payments; if you received none, you will not have received a notice. You can calculate what you should have received using the income limits and payment amounts from each round, or you can let your tax software calculate it when you file.

Filing an amended return to claim the credit for prior years

If you already filed your tax return for the year a payment was issued but did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, you can file an amended return using Form 1040-X. You would file this for the tax year in which the payment should have been issued (for example, Form 1040-X for 2021 if you missed the third payment).

The important date to claim the credit on an original return has passed for all three payments. However, you can still file an amended return within the normal statute of limitations, which is generally three years from the date you filed your original return. If you filed your 2021 return in April 2022, you have until April 2025 to file an amended return claiming the credit for that year.

Why the payments ended and whether new ones are planned

The three Economic Impact Payments were authorized by specific acts of Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: the CARES Act (March 2020), the Consolidated Appropriations Act (December 2020), and the American Rescue Plan (March 2021). Each act authorized one round of payments and specified the amounts and income limits. No subsequent legislation has authorized additional payments.

Congress would need to pass new legislation to authorize another round of payments. As of now, no such legislation is pending or scheduled. Economic Impact Payments were a temporary measure tied to pandemic relief, not a permanent program like the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Child Tax Credit.

Other tax credits and payments you may still be able to claim

If you are looking for tax relief or payments, several other credits and programs remain available. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable credit for people with low to moderate income; you claim it on your current-year tax return. The Child Tax Credit provides up to $2,000 per child and is also claimed on your current return. Both of these are annual credits, not one-time payments.

If you have unpaid taxes from prior years, the IRS may offset a refund you are owed against that debt. If you are struggling with tax debt, the IRS offers payment plans and, in some cases, an Offer in Compromise that settles your debt for less than you owe. These are separate from the Economic Impact Payments and have their own rules and important date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if I did not file a tax return in the year the payment was issued?

Yes. You can file a return for that year now, even if it is past the normal filing important date, and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit. The IRS will not penalize you for filing late if you are owed a refund. You will need to report your income for that year and calculate the credit based on your household size and income at that time.

What if the IRS says I received a payment but I never got the money?

If the payment was issued by check and your address was wrong, the check may have been returned to the IRS or lost in the mail. If it was issued by direct deposit to a closed account, the bank may not have returned it. In either case, you can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return. If you believe the IRS made an error in issuing the payment, you can contact the IRS directly, but the credit is the most reliable way to recover the money.

Do I have to report the Economic Impact Payments as income on my tax return?

No. The payments are not taxable income, and you do not report them on your return. They are treated as advance payments of a tax credit, not as wages or other income. If you received a payment, you do not need to include it in your income calculation when you file.

If I owe back taxes, will the IRS take my Economic Impact Payment to pay the debt?

The IRS can offset a payment against federal tax debt you owe. If you received an Economic Impact Payment and the IRS offset it against back taxes, you would have received a notice explaining this. You cannot recover the offset amount, but you can still claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your tax return for the full amount you should have received.

Are there any other government payments or credits available now that the Economic Impact Payments have ended?

The Economic Impact Payments were specific to pandemic relief. Other credits like the EITC, Child Tax Credit, and Dependent Care Credit are available every year. Some states also offer their own tax credits or rebates. Your tax software or a tax professional can help you identify which credits you may be able to claim based on your current situation.