Stimulus check: IRS plus-up payment status, schedule deadline update and more to

The IRS is sending another batch of stimulus check payments this week, for more than $2 billion. This new wave includes nearly $1 billion worth of “plus-up” payments. Know that IRS is not finished sending this third round of checks, if you’re waiting for your money still. Since the American Rescue Plan passed in March, the IRS has made more than 164 million payments, for $386 billion. The IRS is keeping to this weekly payment schedule — as direct deposits to banks or paper checks in the mail — for those who qualify for a payment. And this third check may not be all you could get from the IRS.

You may also be eligible for a “plus-up” payment — along with the check up to $,1400 — if the IRS underestimated your dollar amount by using an older tax return when it calculated your payment. Once you receive your payment, look for a letter signed by President Joe Biden with information on your third check. See below for why you want to hold on to this confirmation letter. (You may still be waiting for your tax refund, too. Here’s how to check on that using the IRS tracker.) Included in the payments the IRS has cued up are checks for those who receive SSI and SSDI benefits and for nonfilers — people who don’t normally file a tax return.

Here’s what to know about the IRS timeline for payments, including how to report a stimulus check problem and when it’s time to file a payment trace. If you have kids, watch for child tax credit payments for up to $3,600 to start this summer, and how to claim up to $16,000 for child care expenses. Also, here’s how to check on the status of your tax refund. Here’s how to see if the IRS has a tax refund you need to claim and what we know about a fourth check. This story is frequently updated.

Plus-up stimulus payments going out each week with third round of checks

Did you already get the third stimulus check you qualified for? The IRS may owe you a plus-up payment too. The IRS sent 570,000 of these supplemental payments this week. Depending on which year’s tax form the IRS used when it did the math on your third payment, The IRS may have calculated the amount of your payment using an older tax form instead of your 2020 filing. If this is your situation, once the IRS receives your 2020 tax return and calculates your third payment again, under the American Rescue Plan, you could be due more money based on information from your current filing — or on other factors if you don’t usually file.

The IRS said it will automatically send these plus-up stimulus payments if it needs to square up the amount it owes you, but to double-check the math, you may want to confirm how much money you should expect this stimulus round, and then track your payment.

IRS stimulus check timeline through December 2021

Most of the third stimulus check payments have gone out from the IRS and US Department of the Treasury based on what information the IRS has on hand to determine payment amounts. The March stimulus law, however, gives these federal agencies until Dec. 31, 2021, to send out all the third checks. That gives the IRS room to process 2020 tax returns and square up payments for those who are owed plus-up amounts, folks who file a 2020 tax extension and other groups, like those who moved or don’t have a fixed address (such as people experiencing homelessness).

If all or part of your stimulus check doesn’t arrive by then, you’ll need to claim missing money via a 2021 tax…