Coronavirus stimulus checks: IRS adds 3,500 phone operators to handle questions

With over 140 million stimulus checks totaling $240 billion sent out, the Internal Revenue Service is now providing more options for Americans to get their questions answered. Yahoo Finance’s Sibile Marcellus and Seana Smith discuss.

Video Transcript

SEANA SMITH: Let's turn to the latest developments on stimulus checks. So two pieces of news-- we have the IRS adding around 3,500 phone operators to handle questions about the stimulus. And remember the IRS announcing that it's sending prepaid debit cards. Sibile Marcellus has more on this for us. Sibile.

SIBILE MARCELLUS: The IRS has sent over 140 million stimulus checks out the door totaling $240 billion. Now, they've got a little more breathing room to actually handle Americans' complaints and questions about the whole stimulus check program. So the IRS is adding--

- I have enough light on me?

SIBILE MARCELLUS: --500 phone operators to handle that. Now, Americans have tons of questions ranging from--

- It's better?

SIBILE MARCELLUS: --the money being deposited in the wrong bank account to other people stealing their stimulus checks. So, because of all that, the IRS says that this is the number to call. This is very important-- 1-800-919-9835. Again, 1-800-919-9835. You call that, you get an automated message, and eventually you'll reach a phone operator at the IRS who can address your stimulus check situation.

This is a new development, also, with the IRS. Now that they've sent so many checks out, they are now also gonna be sending prepaid debit cards. That's for Americans for which they don't have their banking information on file.

Now, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has said that the prepaid debit cards are secure, easy to use, and allow the IRS to send the money out quickly. So once you get those prepaid debit cards by mail-- they're sending them to about 4 million people-- once you get them, there's instructions on how to activate them and how to use them. And once you have them, you can use them to buy things. You can use it to put money into your bank account without additional fees or even take cash out of an ATM.

SEANA SMITH: All right, Sibile Marcellus, thanks so much for breaking that down for us.