Some could face delays in getting stimulus checks

WASHINGTON – Now that President Joe Biden has signed the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill into law, millions of desperate Americans are wondering the same thing: When will I get my money?

Some people got their answer on Friday. Just one day after Biden signed the legislation into law, an Alexandria, Virginia, reader found a pending post in his bank account labeled “IRS TREAS 310 – TAXEIP3” for $6,892.90 for his family of five.

The IRS refers to the stimulus money as an economic impact payment or EIP.

“I was wondering if Biden was overpromising,” the reader said in an interview. “But I looked. And, wow, it’s actually there.”

The notation on his pending post says the stimulus funds will be available to him on March 17.

The fast turnaround is laudable considering the IRS is in the middle of the 2021 tax season and is also still processing millions of 2019 returns.

But the devil is in the details, and not all people will get their money that quickly.

As in previous rounds, the IRS will eventually post answers to many of your questions at irs.gov. But I’ve put together some information on when you can expect a payment, including what might delay your stimulus funds.

The American Rescue Plan provides a third round of direct payments, up to $1,400 for individuals, $2,800 for couples and an additional $1,400 for each dependent.

If you are in one of these groups, you should be among the first recipients of the third round of stimulus payments:

h You’ve filed your 2019 or 2020 return and received a refund: You should be first in line to get a payment. It’s possible you may see a pending post to your bank account by this weekend. Directdeposit payments in the previous rounds were issued first to individuals with valid routing and account information on file at the IRS.

Just two days after the second stimulus package was signed into law on Dec. 27, providing $600 payments to eligible Americans, the IRS began making direct deposits into recipients’ bank accounts. A day after that, on Dec. 30, the agency said it began mailing paper checks.

The first wave of electronic payments went out to those who had received a refund and – this was key - had their refund direct-deposited into a bank account.

h You used the IRS “Get My Payment” tool to add bank information: In general, the IRS cannot use bank account information it has been given for taxes owed to electronically deposit stimulus payments. The agency said it needs specific authorization to use the same bank information to direct-deposit a stimulus payment.

However, the agency created a new “Get My Payment” tool to allow taxpayers to track their stimulus payments and provide banking information so that they could get a direct deposit rather than a mailed stimulus check. If you used the tool for either of the last two rounds of stimulus payments, you will likely be at the front of the line, because the IRS has permission to make an electronic deposit of the payment.

Beginning Monday, the IRS said people can check the status of their third stimulus payment by using the “Get My Payment tool,” which is available in English and Spanish at irs.gov.

h You used the IRS “non-filers” tool before Nov. 21: The IRS launched a new non-filers tool last year for people who don’t normally file a tax return. People in this group had to use the tool to file a scaled-down tax return. They could then enter payment information, including their bank account data, that allowed the agency to send them directdeposit payments.

h You receive Social Security retirement benefits, survivor or disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement benefits or veterans benefits: You should be among the first to receive an automatic payment, even if you aren’t required to file a tax return.

Here’s what could delay all or part of your stimulus payment:

h You’ve filed your 2020 return and you owed the IRS: There has been a lot of confusion about what bank information the IRS maintains, and it has created a lot of angst and anger when it comes to the stimulus payments.

If you have not used the “Get My Payment” tool to add banking information, the IRS generally cannot use the bank account information you provided to make a tax payment.

In this case, the IRS may end up mailing you a check or prepaid debit card. Payments sent as a paper check will obviously require more processing and mailing time, especially given the issues with the U.S. Postal Service.

h You have not filed a 2019 or 2020 federal return: Millions of people are not required to file a return, because they don’t have income or earn too little.

To get stimulus payments if you qualify, the IRS needs to have a tax return on file for you. So, until you file a return, the IRS can’t send you a payment. For now, the non-filers tool is closed, so people can’t enter or update information in that portal.

The IRS has until the end of the year to get out the third round of payments. After that, eligible taxpayers have to file a 2021 return to claim the stimulus payment, which, like the first two rounds, is referred to as a “recovery rebate credit.”

h You have to file a paper return: If people can’t file electronically, they have to mail a paper return. And that’s a problem since the coronavirus is still causing delays in the processing of paper returns. One problem frustrating advocates who work with chronically homeless, elderly and disabled people is the inability to add banking information without the now-closed online non-filers tool. These people will still get a payment but, without the banking information, it has to be mailed.

h You have dependents and receive Social Security retirement benefits, survivor or disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement benefits or veterans benefits: In the first two rounds, federal beneficiaries didn’t automatically get the stimulus funds ($500 and $600) if they had dependent children 16 and under. The distribution was plagued by glitches – including missing or incorrect payments for dependent children.

Also, new in this round, dependents of any age qualify for the $1,400.

Because many low-income people receiving certain federal benefits are not required to file tax returns, the IRS has no way of knowing whether they have qualifying dependent children.

If you used the non-filers tool by the Nov. 21 date, you shouldn’t have any issues. But if you missed the deadline, you have to file a 2020 return to get the money for your dependent. Until you file, the IRS won’t have the dependent information.

h You have older dependents and used the non-filers tool: In the previous two rounds of stimulus relief, parents could get a payment only for dependents who were 16 or younger. So, if you had a dependent child who was 17 or older, there was no extra coronavirusrelated assistance.

Eligible taxpayers will receive $1,400 for each dependent claimed on their federal return, regardless of age. This might include a college student, a disabled adult child or an elderly relative.

However, if the IRS defaults to using your 2019 return for this third round, it might not know you have older dependents if the information wasn’t entered into the non-filers tool. So, you may not initially get the $1,400 for dependents 17 or older.

But don’t worry. Under the American Rescue Plan, the IRS can make supplemental payments if it misses eligible dependents during the initial distribution of the $1,400 payments.

h You’ve moved: Although you may have filed your 2020 return and even received a refund, it’s possible the IRS hasn’t fully completed processing your return. So the agency would default to your 2019 return, and it may have an old address.

If you chose direct deposit for 2019, you’re probably good. If not, make sure you’ve given the U.S. Postal Service a forwarding address. The IRS uses the USPS National Change of Address registry. Yet even when you notify the Postal Service, not all post offices forward government checks, so you may need to still contact the IRS. Got to irs.gov and search for “change of address.”

And if history is a guide, a forwarded check takes longer to arrive.

h You’ve closed the bank account that your 2019 or 2020 federal refund was sent to: If the account is closed, your bank must send the payment back to the IRS. If this the case, you’ll get a check to the address the agency has on file for you.

Payments sent as a paper check or prepaid debit card may take longer to get to you.

There are a number of other reasons you may not receive a payment right away. The IRS will be issuing guidelines to help explain the distribution of the next phase of stimulus relief. Perhaps the third time will be a charm, and there will be fewer glitches.

Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1301 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071. Her email address is michelle.singletary@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter (@Singletarym) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/michellesingletary). Comments and questions are welcome, but due to the volume of mail, personal responses may not be possible.