Stimulus check timeline update: Important payment details, plus-up money, IRS

The IRS is now in the thick of sending the third wave of $1,400 stimulus payments, a rollout that will continue into the week. This new stimulus check payment batch includes people who receive Social Security, SSI and SSDI benefits (but not these veterans just yet). People who the IRS owes money as a result of their 2019/2020 tax situation and a change to their AGI or dependents (like a 2020 baby) are also receiving “plus-up” payments from the IRS, mostly through direct deposit.

While some folks are reporting they’ve tracked their stimulus money to the mail or scheduled for later this week, many are expected to arrive by or around April 7, the IRS said. If your stimulus check amount was smaller than you think it should be, you might be eligible for a catch-up payment without having to file an amended tax form to receive it.

However, if your check is delayed, held up, or worse, never arrives (even if an IRS letter said it did), you may need to report that or find the rest of your stimulus money or request a payment trace. That’s why it’s important you know how much money you should expect. We explain what to expect below. In the meantime, here’s the talk of a potential fourth stimulus check, and how child tax credit payments will bring more money if you have eligible dependents and qualify for the CTC. This story was recently updated.

Stimulus check delivery status: The updated timeline and scorecard

This weekend through April 7 (and after), SSI and SSDI recipients will finally get their payments, though many veterans will still have to wait. If you receive federal benefits, you’ll get your stimulus money either as an electronic transfer to an existing benefits card, like Direct Express; a transfer to your bank account; or as a payment through the mail. The IRS won’t send EIP cards to this group, the Social Security Administration said.

Many people who don’t receive federal benefits and didn’t get a direct deposit by March 24 will receive a stimulus payment in the mail as a paper check or EIP debit card. However, some folks may see an electronic transfer appear in their bank account, as an adjustment called a “plus-up.” This is primarily for people who received a partial payment based on their 2019 taxes but who are actually due more money based on their 2020 taxes. The people receiving this now have had their 2020 taxes processed by the IRS. The IRS said it will continue to send these plus-up payments on a weekly basis as it processes tax forms and reevaluates payments.

Note that it could take days between the date the IRS or Treasury processes your payment and when you receive it, especially if your check is delivered through the mail. If your life circumstances changed between getting the second stimulus check, which was authorized in December, and now, any complications could hold up your payment. If you moved recently, you need to tell the IRS and USPS.

Here’s how the checks have been sent so far: