money Stimulus: IRS 'Get My Payment' tracking tool now working for $600 direct payments
Americans can now check the status of their second stimulus check using the Internal Revenue Service’s online tracking tool ‘Get My Payment.’
“The Internal Revenue Service today urged people to visit IRS.gov for the most current information on the second round of Economic Impact Payments rather than calling the agency or their financial institutions or tax software providers,” the IRS said in a statement on Monday. “IRS phone assistors do not have additional information beyond what’s available on IRS.gov.”
Read more: Everything you need to know about the second stimulus payment
The current round of stimulus payments, part of a new $900 billion stimulus deal, should be completed by January 15, according to the bill’s text. Along with direct deposits starting last week, around 10 million payments are expected to be mailed every week to recipients without banking information on file.
The ‘Get My Payment’ tool allows Americans to follow the scheduled payment date for either a direct deposit or mailed payment. It’s an online app that works on desktops, phones, or tablets and doesn’t need to be downloaded from an app store.
The second round of payments will be sent out based on information the IRS already has on file and recipients can’t add new banking information or change your mailing address. If you don’t get the payment but you’re eligible to receive one, you can claim it on your 2020 tax return.
In order to use the tool to track your payment, you need to provide basic information:
Social Security number
Date of birth
Mailing address
If you were eligible for the first $1,200 stimulus payment under the CARES Act and now the second $600 direct payment under the new relief bill, the tracking tool will show the status of both.
If you are getting a direct deposit, the tool will show when your direct deposit is expected to be made or when it actually was delivered along with the bank account it deposited into.
Read more: Here's what the new coronavirus stimulus deal means for your wallet
If you receive the message “Payment Status Not Available,” you may be ineligible for the stimulus payment. You may also receive that message if you are required to file a tax return, but the IRS hasn’t finished processing your 2019 return. If you don't usually file a return and you used the ‘Non-Filers’ app, but it hasn’t been processed yet, you may also get that message, according to the IRS.
If you fail to verify your identity using the tool, you may get a “Please Try Again Later” message, which locks you out of the tool for 24 hours for security reasons, according to the IRS. The IRS said there’s no need to contact the agency if this happens. Instead, try using the tool the next day.
You also may be unable to use the tool if you:
Didn’t file a tax return,
Didn’t use the ‘Non-Filers’ tool by November 21, 2020, to provide banking information,
Or receive federal benefits and the IRS doesn’t have enough information for you on file.
The IRS updates the ‘Get My Payment’ tool once a day, so checking once a day is enough to see if there have been any new updates on your payment.
Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova.
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