Stimulus Checks 2023: How To Get IRS Tax Fourth Stimulus Checks

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, states put in place a series of lockdown restrictions to slow the spread.

This increased the rate of unemployment prompting the federal government to pass a series of relief bills, including the Economic Impact Payment — better known as a coronavirus stimulus check.

Let’s take a look at what people got paid and how you can claim your payment if you haven’t.

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Stimulus Checks 2023

Table of Contents

What is a stimulus check?

A stimulus check is a direct payment to American families by the U.S. government in response to COVID-19.

This has nothing to do with Freedom Checks, Superpower Checks, or Federal Rent Checks, which are all related to investment opportunities. This piece is about stimulus checks sent to people by the government.

Since the start of the pandemic, three stimulus checks have been paid out:

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was the first direct payment of up to $1,200 per eligible adult and $500 per eligible dependent child.
The second stimulus check was paid out in December of 2020, paying up to $600 per eligible adult and dependent child.
The American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021, which secured the third stimulus check of up to $1,400 per adult and dependent.

After paying out the first stimulus payment, American families still needed more financial relief as the pandemic raged on. In December 2020, the U.S. government passed a second stimulus check.

When President Joe Biden was voted in on the promise of providing additional financial relief, he signed a bill authorizing a third stimulus check as soon as he took office. He signed The American Rescue Plan Act into law on March 11, 2021. It is expected to be the last direct payment Americans receive.

Who is eligible for a stimulus check?

Stimulus checks are available to eligible U.S. individuals with Social Security numbers. However, the amount you get depends on several factors.

For the first two stimulus checks, if you were a dependent, you weren’t eligible for your own check. People who claimed dependents under 17 could receive a payment for them. Dependents cannot claim their own checks in the third stimulus package. However, if you claim dependents, you can now receive a payment for adult dependents as well as for dependents over age 17.

There are income limits for the stimulus checks. These direct payments are available in full to:

Single tax filers with an income under $75,00.
Heads of house with an income under $112,500
Married joint filers with an income under $150,000.

There are phase-out rules which dictate when high earners lose eligibility for checks. There were different phase-out rules for the three stimulus packages.

The IRS used tax return information from 2018 or 2019 to calculate income and eligibility for the first two checks. It then used tax return information from 2019 or 2020 to determine income and eligibility for the third stimulus check.

The IRS also used information from the Social Security Administration and VA to send payments to benefits recipients who don’t file tax returns. It also created an online form for non-filers to claim their payments.

Calculating the amount in your stimulus check

The amount you got paid was based on your family status and income. The rules were different for the three checks.

First Stimulus Check

The first stimulus check paid $1,200 per eligible adult and $500 per dependent child under 17. Single adults received up to $1,200, Married couples with no children got up to $2,400, and married couples with two children received up to $3,400.

If your income was more than $75,000 as a single filer, $112,500 as a head of household, or $150,000 as a married joint filer, your amount was reduced at a rate of $5 per extra $100 earned. So if you made $76,000 as a single filer, your check would be reduced by $50 because you earned an extra $1,000 and if you divide that by 100 (you get 10) and multiply that by $5, you get $50.

If you were a single filer with income above $99,000, a head of household earning more than $136,500, and a married joint filer earning above $198,000, you didn’t get the check. However, you were still eligible for dependent payments. So, for example, if you were a married joint filer with two children and $199,000, you wouldn’t get your own $2,400 payments but you’d receive $950 of the $1,000 in dependent payments.

Second Stimulus Check

The second check paid $600 per eligible adult and child dependent. The phase-out rules worked the same as the first stimulus check.

If you were a single filer with income above $87,000, a head of a household with income above $124,500, or a married joint filer with more than $174,000, you weren’t eligible.

Third Stimulus Check

The third check paid $1,400 per eligible adult and eligible dependent (including adult dependents).

If you were an individual filer with more than $80,000, a head of a household with more than $120,000, and a married joint filler with more than $160,000, you received no payment at all regardless of how many dependents you had.

Plus-Up Payments

The Agency sent sent additional or plus-up payments to people who had already received a third Economic Impact Payment based on a 2019 tax return or based on information from SSA, RRB or VA.

These payments were also sent to people who were eligible for a plus-up payment based on their 2020 tax return

How to know your stimulus check status?

The IRS created a website to track the status of your stimulus payment. It no longer tracks your payment status on either of the three checks as of writing this in 2023. When the status website worked, you could check:

If your payment had been processed. The IRS specified whether it had sent your check, the date issued, and whether the money would be directly deposited or mailed.
If your status read “Payment Not Available.” The IRS indicated whether it hadn’t yet processed your payment or you weren’t eligible for one.
If it reads “Need More Information.” The IRS specified whether your check was returned to the IRS after an attempted delivery. You could then provide your bank account information to receive your money.

To get your check, you had to file the specified tax return.

What to do if you haven’t been paid your Stimulus Check in 2023

If you haven’t been paid your stimulus check, there are steps you can take to claim your money.

First, you have to be eligible. You have to be:

a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien (and your spouse if filing a joint return)
Not a dependent of another taxpayer.
Earning not more than (adjusted gross income) $150,000 if you are married and filing a joint return, $112,500 if a head of household, or $75,000 as a single filer.

Stimulus check 1 and 2

If you did not receive your first or second stimulus check, you can file a 2020 tax return because that’s the only way you will be able to claim unpaid funds from your first and second stimulus check through the “Recovery Rebate Credit.”

This credit is for those who did not receive any stimulus money at all or received the incorrect amount. You can claim a partial credit and get any additional funds.

You can claim your payment by filing your tax return because the stimulus checks were an advance on a tax credit. Since the IRS is no longer sending out these advances, the only way to claim unpaid stimulus money is to file a tax return.

Third Stimulus Check

The third round of Economic Impact Payments was enforced by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The IRS started sending the checks in March 2021.

As of writing this, the IRS has issued all third Economic Impact Payments and related plus-up payments and most eligible people already received the payments.

You can claim a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 federal tax return if you didn’t qualify for a third Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amount, but only if you are eligible.

You can no longer use the aforementioned “Get My Payment” application to check your payment status. To find the amount of the third payment, you can create or view your online account or see IRS Notice 1444-C, which was mailed by the IRS after sending your payment. They also sent Letter 6475 through March 2022 confirming the total amount of the third payment as well as plus-up payments you were issued for tax year 2021.

According to the IRS, most eligible individuals received their third stimulus checks automatically because the agency used the available information to determine eligibility. The automatic payments were paid to people who filed a 2020 tax return, filed a 2019 tax return if the 2020 tax return had not been submitted or processed yet, had not file a 2020 or 2019 tax return but registered for the first Economic Impact Payment with the Non-Filers tool in 2020, registered through the 2021 Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool, and federal benefit recipients who do not usually file a tax return.

If you don’t normally file a tax return and don’t receive federal benefits, you may qualify for stimulus payments.

If you’re eligible and didn’t get a first, second or third Economic Impact Payment or got less than the full amounts, you may receive a Recovery Rebate Credit, but you’ll need to file a tax return. This also applies to people who don’t usually file taxes. Your 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit will reduce the tax you owe for 2021 or be included in your tax refund.

If your income is $73,000 or less, you can file your federal tax return electronically for free through the IRS Free File Program.

State Stimulus Payments in 2023

There are states that are still sending out stimulus checks in 2023. Here are some of them:

California

California residents will receive inflation relief checks of up to $1,050, either as a direct deposit or a debit card. The amounts they get is based on their income, tax-filing status and household size. Californians have also benefited from a Middle Class Tax refund program.

Idaho

The state will be giving $75 to each taxpayer and dependent, or 12% of their 2020 state income tax return, whichever is greater following a bill that Gov. Brad Little signed in February.

Delaware

Delaware governor John Carney approved the Delaware Relief Rebate Program in April, a $300 stimulus check was sent to residents who filed their 2020 tax returns.

Illinois

Illinois has a $1.83 billion relief package that includes income and property tax rebates. If you earned less than $200,000 in 2021, you will receive a $50 income tax rebate. Couples who filed jointly with incomes under $400,000 will receive $100. They may earn $100 per dependent they claimed on their 2021 taxes, up to three dependents. There are two possible payments for Illinois residents, an income tax rebate and a property tax rebate.

Hawaii

Residents who made less than $100,000 in 2021 or $200,000 federal adjusted gross income if they filed jointly receive a one-time $300 tax rebate. Dependents are also eligible for tax rebate payments.

Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a bill allowing Florida families to receive one-time payments of $450 per child “to offset the costs of rising inflation.”

Georgia

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill sending tax rebate payments to taxpayers who filed their state returns for both 2020 and 2021. Single taxpayers received $250, heads of households got $375 and married couples filing jointly got $500. Other states have paid up to two tax rebates.

Will we get another federal stimulus check?

The third payment was probably the last one you will get for the foreseeable future. Democrats passed the third stimulus check through “budget reconciliation,” which allowed them to pass it with a simple majority vote in the Senate.

There is a limit on the number of times Democrats can use reconciliation and the Republicans have made it clear they’re not going to provide further COVID relief. Therefore, it is unlikely that a fourth stimulus check will be authorized.

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David Fortune

David Fortune has been the editor NoBSIMReviews.com since 2019. He is an expert at writing content on stock advisory services, side hustles, reviewing online business opportunities and many more topics. You can learn more about David on our about us page.

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