What to Do If You Haven't Received Your Third Stimulus Payment Yet

Over 127 million people have received their third stimulus payments, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That's an estimated $325 billion in funds disbursed since March 17.

While many households are already able to use their checks to pay bills or save for a vacation, the IRS has run into a few issues getting the third payments to everyone who qualifies. The agency has said it is working to distribute the funds as quickly as possible while simultaneously processing 2020 tax returns.

If you haven't received yours yet, the agency says not to worry, and that most taxpayers don't need to do anything but wait for their deposit or mailed payment. In the meantime, here's what else you need to know.

How do I track my payment?

Taxpayers can track the status of their payments using the IRS's Get My Payment tool, which is updated once a day. You will likely receive one of three types of messages:

• "Payment Status" will show you the date your payment was processed and will tell you if you will receive funds via direct deposit or in the mail. If the tool says that you are eligible for a payment, but there is no date shown, that means that the IRS hasn't processed your payment yet. It does not mean that you won't receive one — you will just get it in a future wave of payments.
• "Payment Status Not Available" means the IRS either hasn't yet determined your eligibility or that you're not eligible at all.
• "Need More Information" means one of the two things: Either the IRS does not have your account information and your payment hasn't been processed yet, or the postal service was unable to deliver your payment and it was returned to the IRS.

What do I do if my payment was sent to the wrong bank account?

Many taxpayers who used H&R Block, TurboTax or another tax preparation software company have reported issues with receiving their payments. Like with many of the second stimulus checks, the IRS has seemingly sent the funds to the wrong bank accounts.

The IRS has said that if this is the case, the funds will be sent back to the agency and then reissued as either a paper check or debit card and sent to the address the agency has on file for each affected taxpayer. The Get My Payment tool will show the updated information when it's available.

When can Social Security recipients expect the stimulus check?

There has been a delay getting the third payments to around 30 million people who receive benefits from Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, the Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Affairs, because the Social Security Administration did not send the IRS the necessary paperwork.

But the IRS should have received the information it needed to send the payments last Thursday, and announced Tuesday that many Social Security beneficiaries and many others who don't normally file taxes will start getting their payments by April 7.

What if the IRS sends the incorrect amount?

The IRS has said that the third stimulus payments will be based on 2020 income. So if you receive a payment before the agency processes last year's return but you qualify for more money based on your 2020 income, the agency will top off your stimulus payment at some point this year.

Taxpayers won't have to do anything to get all of the money they are eligible for, except file their 2020 returns. If you qualify for less money in 2020, you will not owe any money back.

This is also true for people who have a child during the year, or who receive an incorrect payment amount.

The agency has so far not given a date for when it expects to make these additional payments.

Don't miss: TurboTax, H&R Block customers report issues getting third stimulus checks

Check out: Use this calculator to see exactly how much your third coronavirus stimulus check could be worth