Just over a week ago, the Internal Revenue Service started delivering third-round of stimulus payments to American taxpayers.
Under the American Rescue Plan, most Americans will receive all or part of a $1,400 direct payment over the coming weeks. Single filers earning under $75,000 and joint filers earning under $150,000 will receive the full stimulus payment, with payment amounts phasing out at $80,000 and $160,000 for single and joint filers respectively.
The IRS says it has already processed 90 million stimulus payments. Primarily, these have been to those receiving payments via direct deposit. Only about 150,000 checks have been issued through the mail so far.
But the majority of these payments have been issued to working Americans. We have no word on when SSDI or SSI recipients will receive their payments, and most Social Security beneficiaries haven’t seen any payments at all.
Like the previous two stimulus rounds, Social Security beneficiaries are entitled to the same payments as working Americans. But unlike the past, beneficiaries have been largely left out of the initial delivery of this payment.
This has left many of the most financially vulnerable asking: where is my stimulus check?
And they’re not the only ones.
On Monday, several committee chair legislators penned a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul asking the very same question.
2021.03.22-Neal-Larson-Pascrell-Davis-to-IRS-SSAAmong the letter signers were Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal and Social Security Subcommittee Chair John Larson.
The letter expresses concern about the IRS’ and SSA’s failure to provide a concrete timeline for payments to beneficiaries, including Veterans’ Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board beneficiaries. These lawmakers are requesting a formal update on when checks will be delivered to retirees by this Friday.
Today the IRS is expected to issue its second batch of payments. It’s unclear if this second delivery will include Social Security beneficiaries. Moving forward, the IRS will process a batch of payments every week until its December 31 deadline. As we wait for confirmation from the IRS and SSA Commissioners on when beneficiaries will start receiving stimulus checks, you can track the status of your payment with the IRS’s Get My Payment tool. If you receive a “payment status not available” message, it is likely the IRS has not yet processed your payment (though it may also mean you are not eligible or your payment is not deliverable).
