If you didn’t get your first, second or third stimulus check, don’t worry — you can still claim the payments as a tax credit and get the money as part of your tax refund. stimulus checks are a federal tax credit, known as the recovery refund credit. It’s not too late to file a tax return for the recovery refund credit!
click on any of the following links to go to a section:
- how do I claim the recovery refund credit?
- first stimulus check
- second stimulus check
- third stimulus check
- find your stimulus check amounts
- when will I receive the recovery refund credit?
- need help claiming the recovery refund credit?
You can get the recovery refund credit by filing your tax return. the tax return you need to file will depend on the stimulus checks you need to get. see the chart below to identify which free submission options you can use.
Visit getyourrefund.org through October 1, 2022 to get your first or second stimulus check (or a combination of missed stimulus checks). visit getctc.org before mid-November to get just the third stimulus check.
first and second stimulus control
You will need to file a tax return for tax year 2020 (which you will file in 2021). the deadline to file your taxes this year was May 17, 2021. the deadline for the extension of the tax return is October 15, 2021.
If you missed the filing deadline, you can still file your taxes to get your first and second stimulus checks. if you don’t owe taxes, there is no penalty for filing late. If you owe taxes, you may be subject to penalties and fines for not reporting or not paying taxes. The government may reduce your tax refund to pay for taxes you owe and other federal and state debts.
For more information about your options if you think you owe taxes, read “filing late taxes” and “what to do if I owe taxes but can’t pay them.”
third stimulus check
You will need to file a tax return for tax year 2021 (which you will file in 2022). the deadline to file your tax return was April 18, 2022. the deadline for the extension of tax filing is October 17, 2022.
tax filing
tax software, such as myfreetaxes, h&r block, or turbotax, will automatically help determine if you qualify for the recovery refund credit.
You can also use one of the codes for the united states filing tools: visit getyourrefund.org through October 1, 2022, if you missed your first or second stimulus check. visit getctc.org before mid-November if you just missed the third stimulus check.
If your income is less than $72,000, you can use your free file to prepare and file your federal income taxes online for free. If you make less than about $56,000, you can also use the IRS Life Locator Tool or visit the AARP Foundation Tax Assistant to locate a free tax site that is open now that filing season is over.
If you received your first, second and/or third stimulus check, you will need to know the amount you received for each check. If you need help finding the amount of your checks, click here. If you have not received your stimulus checks, you will be asked questions to help confirm your eligibility and the amount owed.
This is an example of how to claim the recovery refund credit through myfreetaxes tax software.
The following sections provide information on who may need to apply for each of the stimulus checks.
If you didn’t qualify for your first stimulus check based on your 2018 or 2019 taxes, you can claim the catch-up refund credit if you’re eligible based on your 2020 (filing in 2021) tax return.
Here are some situations where you may need to take steps to get your first stimulus check:
- if you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2019 tax return (see q c6), you were not eligible for a stimulus check. however, if that changed in 2020 and you meet the other eligibility requirements, you can claim the credit on your 2020 federal income tax return (which you file in 2021).
- If you are incarcerated and did not receive your first stimulus check, you can claim the tax credit on your tax return.
- if your family was denied a stimulus check because only one spouse has a social security number (ssn), that rule has now changed. the spouse with the ssn and the qualifying children with ssns can claim the first stimulus check as the catch-up refund tax credit. if you are a military family, only one spouse must have a social security number for both spouses to claim the first stimulus check.
- if your first stimulus check is not reflected all or your qualified dependents (see q c5) or if your income decreased in 2020 and you only received a partial stimulus check because of your 2018 or 2019 income (see q b11), you can claim the extra money by filing a tax return of 2020 (that present in 2021).
If you did not qualify for the second stimulus check based on your 2019 taxes, you can claim the recovery refund credit if you are eligible based on your 2020 tax return. Please note that some of the second check eligibility rules of stimulus differ from those of the first stimulus check.
Here are some situations where you may need to take steps to get your second stimulus check:
- If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2019 tax return, you were not eligible for a stimulus check. however, if that changed in 2020 and you meet the other eligibility requirements, you can claim the credit on your 2020 federal tax return (to be filed in 2021).
- if your second stimulus check was sent to a bank account that is closed or no longer active, the irs will not reissue the payment by mail. instead, you will need to file a 2020 tax return to claim the payment as a recovery refund credit.
- if your second stimulus check did not reflect all of your qualified dependents or if your income decreased in 2020 and you only received a partial stimulus check based on your 2019 income, you can claim the extra money when you file a 2020 federal income tax return.
If you didn’t qualify for the third stimulus check based on your 2019 or 2020 taxes, you can claim the recovery refund credit if you’re eligible based on your 2021 tax return.
Here are some situations where you may need to take steps to get your third stimulus check:
- If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2020 tax return, you were not eligible for a stimulus check. however, if that changed in 2021 and you meet the other eligibility requirements, you can claim the credit on your 2021 federal tax return (which you file in 2022).
- If your third stimulus check is based on your 2019 or information received from the Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, or Veterans Affairs and did not receive the correct amount.
- if your third stimulus check did not reflect all of your qualified dependents or If your income dropped in 2021 and you only received a partial stimulus check because of your 2019 or 2020 income, you may be able to claim the extra money when you file your 2021 federal income tax return (which you will file in 2022).
To find the amount of stimulus payment(s) you have received, you can:
- Check the IRS notices that were mailed to you. the irs notice 1444 shows how much you received from the first stimulus check. the irs notice 1444-b shows how much he received from the second stimulus check. the irs notice 1444-c shows how much you received from the third stimulus check.
- check your bank statements. If your payments were direct deposited, you can find the amount of your first, second, and third stimulus checks using your bank statements. they must be labeled “irs treas 310” and have a code of “taxeip1” (first stimulus check), “taxeip2” (second stimulus check), or “taxeip3” (third stimulus check).
- request a transcript of the account. You can request an account transcript sent electronically or by mail using get transcript. You can also call the IRS Automated Telephone Transcription Service at 800-908-9946 or mail Form 4506-t to have your transcript mailed to you.
- Create an IRS account .gov /account. You can view your stimulus check amounts in the tax records tab. if you filed a joint return with your spouse, you will only see half of the amounts of the stimulus checks. your spouse will need to log into their own account to see the other half of the stimulus check amounts.
To create an account, you will need:
- Basic information: full name, email, birthday, social security number (ssn) or individual tax identification number (itin), marital status for tax filing purposes, and current address.
- a number from one of your financial accounts, such as the last 8 digits of your visa, mastercard, or discover credit card, or the loan account number for one of the following types of loans: student loan, home loan, home equity loan, home equity line of credit, or an auto loan.
If the above options don’t work for you, you can provide the amount of your stimulus checks based on memory. The IRS will correct the amount for you if you make a mistake, which can delay the processing of your tax return. The IRS will notify you of any changes made to your tax return.
If you’re doing your taxes without the help of software, you can use the recovery refund credit calculation instructions here (go to step 3 and click “didn’t you get your entire stimulus check?”).
You’ll most likely get the recapture refund credit as part of your tax refunds. If you e-file your tax return, you will likely receive your refund within 3 weeks. if you mail your return, it can take at least 8 weeks to receive your refund.
Claiming the recovery refund credit will not delay your tax refund. However, if you do not claim the correct amount of recovery refund credit, your refund may be delayed while the IRS corrects the error on your return. The IRS will send you a notice of any changes made to your return.
You can check the status of your refund using the IRS Check My Refund Status tool.
click here to learn how to get your stimulus checks.
This free tax filing page can help you find the best resource to file your taxes for free.