Where’s My Stimulus Check? Use the IRS’s “Get My Payment” Tool to Get an Answer

The IRS has already started sending out third stimulus checks. If you’re asking yourself “where’s my stimulus check,” the IRS has an online portal that lets you track your payment. It’s called the “Get My Payment” tool, and it’s an updated version of the popular tool Americans used to track the status of their first- and second-round stimulus checks. (To find out how much money you will get, use our Third Stimulus Check Calculator.)

Note that you can’t check the status of your first- or second-round stimulus payments with the updated tool. If you didn’t get an earlier payment, or your received less than the full amount, you might be able to get what you’re owed by claiming the Recovery Rebate credit on your 2020 tax return. (You can file a return just to claim the credit even if you aren’t required to file.) Third-round stimulus payments aren’t used to calculate the 2020 Recovery Rebate credit, but they will be used to figure the credit amount on your 2021 tax return.

The updated “Get My Payment” tool more-or-less works the same way as the portal used for first- and second-round stimulus checks. But here’s a refresher course on what the tool does, what information you need to provide, and what information the tool gives you. Check it out now so you know what to expect before entering the portal at on the IRS’s website.

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What Does the Stimulus Check Portal Do?

The updated “Get My Payment” tool lets you:

• Check the status of your stimulus payment;
• Confirm your payment type (paper check or direct deposit); and
• Get a projected direct deposit or paper check delivery date (or find out if a payment hasn’t been scheduled).

For first-round stimulus payments, you could also use the portal to enter or change your bank account information to have your payment directly deposited into your account. However, that feature isn’t included in the current tool (nor was it offered for second-round payments). The IRS already has bank account information for millions of Americans from recent tax returns, tax payments, the original “Get My Payment” tool, the non-filers tool used last year, and other federal agencies that regularly send out benefit payments (e.g., Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board and Department of Veterans Affairs). So, the tax agency is generally limiting direct deposit payments to bank accounts that they already have on file. As a result, you can’t change your bank information using the “Get My Payment” tool. (And don’t call the IRS, the person on the phone won’t be able to change your bank information, either.)

If your payment isn’t deposited directly into your bank account, then you’ll get either a paper check or a debit card in the mail (assuming you’re eligible for a payment). You could also receive a payment by mail if your bank rejected a direct deposit. This could happen because the bank information was incorrect or the bank account on file with the IRS has since been closed.

If a third-stimulus payment is mailed to you, but the Post Office is unable to deliver it and returns it to the IRS, you may be able to use the “Get My Payment” tool to send the IRS your bank account information to have your payment reissued as a direct deposit. In this case, the portal will say “Need More Information” about two to three weeks after the original payment was issued. 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. If you don’t provide account information, your payment will be reissued by mail when the IRS receives an updated address.

What Information Will You Need?

To access the tool, you’ll be asked to provide a:

• Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax ID Number (ITIN);
• Date of birth;
• Street address; and
• Five-digit ZIP or postal code.

If you file a joint tax…