If your stimulus check is missing, here’s how you can claim or report it to the

You have plenty of company if you’re still waiting for your second stimulus check to arrive. At least 8 million other people who qualified for the second payment haven’t received their $600 payments yet either, according to Brian Deese, the new director of the White House National Economic Council. Though many in this group are nonfilers, others are seeing delays because of errors and others issues with the checks, too. 

If you haven’t received the amount you expected — including a payment for your child dependents, through direct deposit, paper check or EIP card — and you’ve double-checked that you meet the eligibility requirements, it may be time to report your missing money. Depending on what’s holding up your payment, such as a mistake by the IRS or a closed bank account, you may need to take different actions, including filing for a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return, or requesting something called a Payment Trace from the IRS. 

Here’s everything we know about how to hunt down and file for a missing stimulus payment, no matter your situation. Plus, here’s what we also know about a third stimulus check, including calculating your total possible check size, how soon it could come and all the ways it could bring more money. This story is updated frequently.

Stimulus check still a no-show? When to take action

About 15 days after the IRS sends out your second check, you should receive a letter from the agency confirming the payment and giving you a way to get in touch with the agency to report any problems. When the first round of stimulus checks went out last year, that letter included two hotline phone numbers because thousands of agents were available to help. But with the second round of checks, the IRS has changed its tune (more on this below). 

Here are three common scenarios that might indicate you need to look into your stimulus payment:

You should also check to make sure you’re qualified to get the second payment, since not everyone who received a check in the first round got it in the second. 

Claim your missing money if your first or second stimulus check never arrived

If you’re certain you meet the qualifications to receive the first or second stimulus check, what to do next depends on your situation. 

If you never got your money or a confirmation letter from the IRS that your first payment was sent, you will likely have to file for the money as a Recovery Rebate Credit with your 2020 taxes this year. We’ve got full instructions for how to file for your Recovery Rebate Credit here, but basically, you’ll use the 2020 Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR to claim a catch-up payment when you file your taxes before the April 15 deadline. 

The IRS will provide a Recovery Rebate Credit Worksheet to help you work out if you’re missing a payment and for how much. If you’re part of a group that doesn’t usually file taxes (such as older adults, retirees, SSDI or SSI recipients and individuals with adjusted gross incomes of less than $12,200), you’ll likely still need to file this year (we have instructions for nonfilers who need to claim stimulus money on their taxes here). You should also save your IRS letter — Notice 1444 Your Economic Impact Payment — with your 2020 tax records, as you’ll need it to file the claim. 

You can also file for a Recovery Rebate Credit if you didn’t receive the correct amount of money for your child dependents in your first or second check. 

However, there may be other…