The $ 600 incentive checks that go to millions of people can now be individually tracked through the IRS ‘”Get My Payment” website, which reopened Monday afternoon. The site informs people of the date of their payment and whether they will receive it via direct deposit or the emailed payment date.
Still, there are some problems that delay the payment of the incentive money and cause confusion and questions among consumers. Chief among them: Some people who had their 2020 tax returns filed through tax advisers like H&R Block may have had their stimulus check sent directly to the tax office instead of their bank account.
That echoes one glitch that affected the payment of the first stimulus check for some people who used tax prep services and for whom the IRS had no direct deposit information. With the second round of stimulus checks, a similar issue could affect some people, with H&R Block warning its customers who have used a service called a refund transfer that they may see ‘an account number you don’t recognize’ in the ‘Get My Payment “website. According to H&R Block, refund transfers are offered to allow people to use their refunds to pay for their tax preparation costs.
“But don’t worry – we have forwarded these payments to the method you chose for refund: direct deposit, check or Emerald Card. The money should be there by the end of the day,” H&R Block wrote Monday evening.
H&R block, TurboTax issues
Intuit’s TurboTax on Tuesdays too tweeted that some customers had problems receiving their incentive checks. “The IRS announced yesterday that because of the speed with which they made this second round of payments, they have sent some payments to an account that may have been closed or no longer active,” the tax authorities said.
TurboTax said financial institutions should return the checks to the IRS, but it’s likely those customers will be delayed.
Some customers responded on social media that they panicked after not receiving their money as expected, and some expressed concern that they had been a victim of fraud.
Meanwhile, the IRS said Monday it may take “several days” for direct deposits to individual accounts to be posted after the January 4 official payday. It added that some people see their incentive checks as pending or preliminary payments in their accounts.
Here’s what you need to know about tracking your payment.
How can I get my stimulus check?
The IRS says people will automatically receive their payments in the second round of incentive checks. One way to keep track of the status of your payment is to go to the “Get My Payment” site.
As with the first round, you will need to enter some personally identifiable information such as your Social Security number, date of birth, and address. The site will then give you the status of both your first and second incentive payment.
What does “Get My Payment” tell me?
The Get My Payment site will notify you of the date of the payment and method, which the IRS says is either the payment date sent or the date of direct deposit into your bank account. Checks sent by mail require more processing and mailing time, although the IRS has not specified how long it will take.
The IRS says it prioritizes direct deposits to people with valid routing and account information.
Can I change my bank account information?
The IRS says this option is unavailable this time because the IRS issues the checks based on the information it already has on file from the first round of checks. In the first round of checks led by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act), people were able to enter or correct their bank account information on the “Get My Payment” site.
However, that is not an option in the second round. “You cannot add new routing or account information and request to receive your payment via an EIP card,” the IRS said on Dec. 30.
What if the IRS sent the check to a closed account?
Because people cannot update their bank account information on the “Get My Payment” site, there is a concern that some checks may be sent to recently closed accounts. If so, the IRS says you should wait to file your 2020 tax return.
The incentive checks are basically a tax credit that can be applied to your annual tax returns – but that means people wait weeks or even months for their incentive money to show up through their tax refund.
Why does it say “Payment not available”?
This was a message that frustrated many consumers in the first round of audits, and resulted from a number of issues, such as whether the IRS was still verifying whether a person was eligible for an audit.
Some people receive this notice on the second round of stimulus checks, which, according to the IRS, means that the person is not eligible for a check – for example, if their income exceeds the admission threshold – or that the IRS says it “ was unable to get you an EIP 2 payment, ”which is the IRS term for the second incentive check.
The IRS said it may not be able to make a second incentive payment while it is still processing your most recent tax return.
What should I do if I receive social security by direct debit?
The IRS says people who receive government benefits such as Social Security, railroad retirement benefits, supplemental security income, or veteran benefits through Direct Express – a debit card that automatically receives payments – will have their second stimulus checks deposited on that card.
But the IRS warned, “The bank information shown in Get My Payment is a number associated with your Direct Express card and may be a number you don’t recognize.”