Stimulus check update: How to change your bank information, address and track

The third stimulus payment from the $1.9 trillion relief package has started to hit some bank accounts, the IRS said.

If you want to track your payment, the IRS on Saturday reopened its Get My Payment tool, which allows you to see when and how your payment was sent. It also allows you to update your bank account information, according to the IRS website. You can also update your information by filing your 2020 tax return, the IRS said, but that will take longer.

To use Get My Payment, date of birth, Social Security number, street address and zip code. If you try multiple times and you can’t get through, you will be locked out of the tool for 24 hours for security reasons.

Get My Payment tool

When you do get in, the system will display one of several messages, the IRS website said:

• Payment Status: This means one of two things. Either your payment has been processed or you are eligible but it hasn’t been processed yet. If the payment has been processed, it will show a payment date and whether the money was or will be sent by direct deposit or mail. If it says it has been mailed, you may receive either a paper check or a prepaid debit card.
• Payment Status Not Available: This message means either your payment hasn’t been processed yet, you are not eligible for a payment or the IRS doesn’t have enough information about you. The tool is updated once every 24 hours so you can come back to look for updates.
• Need More Information: This message means a payment was sent but it was returned to the IRS, perhaps because it was sent to an inactive bank account or to an address where you no longer live. If that’s the case, the tool will give you a chance to enter your bank account or prepaid debit card information so the IRS can reissue your payment. If you don’t have a bank account, you will need to update your address so the IRS can mail a payment.

How to update your address

The IRS says the easiest way to update your address with the agency is to file your 2020 tax return with your current address, if you haven’t already done so. The fastest way to file the return and have your address updated is to file your return electronically, it said.

You can also call the IRS directly, or file this form with the IRS, or send the IRS a letter with your full name, both the old and new addresses and your Social Security number.

How to update your banking information

If the IRS sent you a payment but it was returned to the agency, you will have to be patient. The Get My Payment tool will say “Need More Information,” but that may not appear for two to three weeks after the payment was returned.

“At this point, you can enter a routing and account number for your bank account, prepaid debit card or alternative financial product that has a routing and account number associated with it,” the IRS said.

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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.