Some still waiting for stimulus check
While millions of people have received their first Economic Impact Payment, a significant group of others who are eligible are frustrated that they've seen nothing or only part of what they're owed.
Many still are wondering four months after the first round of stimulus checks began rolling out when they'll actually get their money. Some money has been held up by glitches, programming errors and math errors on some tax returns.
The group left on the sidelines includes families where a spouse is in jail or prison, someone whose spouse owes back-due child support, victims of identity theft and others.
Hundreds of thousands of lower income families fell short for months and didn't receive an extra $500 for qualifying children ages 16 and younger due to an IRS tool's programming error in April and early May. Fortunately, some of that money finally began arriving in the mail in early August.
The Internal Revenue Service has not issued a specific number for how many payments remain missing in action.
“Unfortunately, we don't have enough information to make an estimate, and the IRS has not provided an estimate,” according to Howard D. Brooks, public affairs specialist for the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
The stimulus program has provided a lifeline — and likely contributed to a savings cushion for some more financially stable families — during the economic fallout from the fight against COVID-19.
Eligible families received up to $1,200 for each adult — or up to $2,400 for a married couple — and $500 for each eligible child age 16 and younger.
It's a big deal if a struggling family lost a paycheck during the pandemic and didn't get the money that they're owed. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is working with the IRS to make sure some payments facing delays could arrive sometime this year, if possible.
Otherwise, some families won't get their stimulus money until after they file their federal income taxes in 2021. Having to hang on that long only adds to the hardship already being faced by many.
Some stimulus fixes are on the way
Taxpayers may be getting extra help in the coming weeks. Some issues are being resolved. If you've not received the first stimulus payment, you can call the IRS at its Economic Impact Payment information number at 800-919-9835.
You can research some specific questions at the Economic Impact Payment Information Center at IRS.gov.
Some taxpayers who meet set criteria and have an unresolved issue may get some help from the National Taxpayer Advocate helpline at 877-777-4778.
As of May 8, the IRS reported that about 130 million individuals received their Economic Impact payments worth more than $200 billion in the program's first four weeks.
Roughly 20 million or more people had yet to receive payments by early May. Yet payments continued to go out this summer to millions of people and remain ongoing.