12 Most Important Things to Know About Your Third Payment of SSI and SSDI Stimulus Checks

By Jessa Martin On Jan 24, 2022

The third stimulus payments are still being distributed by the IRS, and some of them are going to persons on SSI or SSDI assistance. To find out if you’re one of the few people who haven’t received your Social Security check, you may want to start looking.

Direct Express card recipients should have received their payment by now. However, if your payment is going to be sent to you via postal mail or direct deposit, you may still have to wait.

Request a payment trace if you discontinued or started receiving SSI or SSDI benefits in 2019 or 2020, or if you believe your first or second stimulus payment is missing.

In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs began paying out benefits to those who qualify last month. Retired railroad workers who are eligible for stimulus payments of up to $1,400 are expected to get them soon.

It’s possible you’ll have to file a 2020 tax return if your dependents didn’t receive any stimulus funds, but the deadline to do so was just yesterday. If you have children, check out the new child tax credit’s eligibility requirements, including if your child is a qualifying dependent.

The enhanced child tax payment could net you up to $3,600. As a result of new pandemic-related credits and benefits, you may save up to $50,000 this year. Updates are made on a regular basis here.

As a result of my work, I’m entitled to Social Security benefits. Was there anything I missed during my third stimulation check?

Your Social Security SSI or SSDI check should have arrived or is on its way by now. The following are the facts:

The majority of Social Security claimants, as well as those receiving SSI, SSDI, and pensions from railroads, will be eligible for a stimulus payment (see the general eligibility requirements here.) Numerous people have already received theirs.

If you have a direct deposit or a Direct Express card, you should have received your payment by April 7.

Beneficiaries of veterans’ benefits who don’t normally file taxes received their stimulus money on April 14th.

Because of your usage of the Non-Filers tool in 2020, you may be eligible for a stimulus payment as part of the ongoing payment batch. In the future, you may receive a paper check for your money.

If you claim dependents, you may be eligible for a bigger payment this year.

Are you part of a mixed-citizenship family? There are a few things to be aware of.

Once again, private debt collectors can seize stimulus checks, but not from past-due child support payments.

Even if you don’t normally file taxes, you’ll need to file a 2020 tax form to claim any missing stimulus money from the previous checks.

In order to claim your dependents for the third stimulus check, you may also have to file a 2020 tax form (which is completely free).

Taxpayers will be notified if they are eligible for financial assistance and offered assistance if necessary by the government.

A year from now, during tax season 2021 (in 2022), any unpaid balance from the third check can be made up. If the IRS follows the same approach as currently, you’ll have to file a tax return in order to claim it (more info on this below).

However, some are calling for more direct payments to the American people in the form of a fourth stimulus check.

When may SSI, SSDI, and veteran recipients anticipate the latest round of stimulus payments?

Non-Filers in 2020 who filed a tax return in 2019 or 2020 may already have received a stimulus payment, or they may receive one in a future batch of government checks. (The Internal Revenue Service has been giving out payments every week.)

Direct deposit or your Direct Express card began disbursing payments on April 7 for the vast majority of the remaining population. On April 9th, mail-in payments began for individuals who requested them.

E-payments and paper checks were sent out on April 21 and 23 for those who did not file a tax return from a foreign location. Ordinarily, payments to veterans who do not file taxes were due on April 14.

Even if you don’t file a tax return, the IRS and Treasury will utilize the information they have on file to automatically send you a check. A 2020 tax return may be used by the IRS instead of your 2019 information if it has already processed your newest return (here’s how to find out).

Even if they don’t regularly do so, certain taxpayers may be required to submit a 2020 tax return in order to ensure that the IRS has all the necessary information to transfer payments to qualified dependents.

What should I do if I haven’t gotten my stimulus payment?

The SSA and VA will direct you to the IRS if there is a problem with your stimulus check. When it comes to problems with your payment, the IRS advises taxpayers to use the IRS tracking tool instead of contacting them by phone.

This is something the IRS emphasizes constantly on its FAQ sites. Then what?

If you’re having problems with your stimulus check or want to know why your check is taking so long to clear, you may be able to resolve the issue yourself depending on the circumstances. Other than that, you may have to ask the IRS for a payment trace, but there are particular deadlines for doing so.

My third stimulus check will be delivered in what manner?

You may receive the third payment on your Direct Express card if you didn’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return or used the Non-Filers option in 2020, according to the Social Security Administration and this instructional PDF from Direct Express. For monthly benefits, you are entitled to an additional free withdrawal in addition to the standard free monthly withdrawal.

SSI and SSDI beneficiaries who didn’t have up-to-date bank account information on file with the IRS got their first two 2020 stimulus payments via non-Direct Express bank accounts or paper checks. Some recipients of SSI and SSDI should have received their current batch of stimulus money via Direct Express, according to IRS officials. (Here’s how to get reimbursed for stimulus funds that were never claimed.)

Is it possible for me to open a new Direct Express account at this time?

In order to get your federal benefits electronically, you can open a new Direct Express account at any time. However, if you don’t already have one, you will receive your third stimulus check in a different manner, most likely by mail.

There is a possibility that the stimulus money will be sent by mail to your last known address if you no longer have a Direct Express account or if there is an error in delivering the payment. If you’ve relocated, be sure to let the IRS and the US Postal Service know about your new location.

Call 1-800-333-1795 Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT to enroll in a new Direct Express account for monthly benefits (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET). Direct Express representatives may not be able to answer questions about stimulus checks.

Is the $1,400 I’m eligible for? Is it more or less than I thought?

If you are on SSI or SSDI, you will once again be eligible for a third stimulus payment of up to $1,400 as part of the new administration’s American Rescue Plan.

Prior to the first two rounds, persons who met the income requirements (single: $75,000; head of household: $112,500; married: $150,000) were eligible to apply as long as they possessed a Social Security number and were not claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.

All dependents, including young adults (17-24) and seniors (65+), are now eligible for stimulus payments under the most current March stimulus package. It also raises the allowance for these dependents from $1,200 to $1,400 per year.

Additionally, the checks will be more “targeted” than in the first two waves, with the full amount going to single taxpayers earning $75,000 or less per year, while individuals earning more than $80,000 per year will not receive any money at all.

As a result, some households may see an increase in their financial assistance, while others may see a decrease or receive nothing at all.

Those receiving Railroad Retirement and Veterans Affairs benefits are also automatically eligible for a stimulus payment, according to the IRS.

Is my stimulus payment going to be in the form of an EIP card?

5 million stimulus payments are expected to be made by debit card, but Social Security recipients will not receive EIP debit cards, according to the IRS projections.

In accordance with the SSA’s help page: “Beneficiaries of the third round of EIPs will not be receiving pre-paid debit cards from the IRS. The Social Security Administration is not in charge of administering the EIP debit card program or deciding who gets an EIP debit card rather than a paper check.”

What can I do to ensure that my dependents get the stimulus money they need?

Dependents of all ages can now receive up to $1,400 each toward the household’s total payout with the third stimulus check. This includes grandparents, great-grandparents, and even college-age relatives.

In order to get the $1,400 per dependent benefit, beneficiaries with dependents must file a 2020 tax return so that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is aware of the number of dependents you claim.

“People in this group should file a 2020 tax return as soon as possible to be considered for an additional payment for their dependents,” the IRS said in a press release on March 22.

If you’re expecting a child in 2020, here are some tips on how to maximize the third check’s value and what to expect if you do.

Additionally, there are tax benefits for those who provide care for youngsters or the elderly, and the IRS has provided information on who qualifies as an adult for the purpose of receiving a stimulus check of their own.

Although people with dependents 16 and younger were eligible for up to $500 each in the first stimulus check made possible by the CARES Act in March 2020, not everyone who qualified for the extra funds did so.

As long as your children were under the age of 16 at the time of the second stimulus check, they contributed $600 to your household’s total.

How will I receive my stimulus payment if someone else is in charge of my federal benefits account?

If a relative, friend, or representative of an organization acts as your representative payee to administer your Social Security benefits, that person should speak with you, the beneficiary, about your benefits.

The Social Security Administration advises as much. To make use of your funds, request a stimulus payment from the person in charge of your account.

You should have received your EIP to the same direct deposit account or Direct Express card that you get your monthly Social Security or SSI payment,” according to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

A physical check or an electronic transfer is the most likely method of delivery for an Organizational Representative Payee’s EIP.

Since the stimulus payment is not a Social Security benefit, representative payees are not required to account for it on their yearly accounting form, according to the SSA.

If I’m not currently living in the United States, what should I be aware of?

According to the SSA, foreign-addressed Social Security recipients who have their monthly benefits transferred into a foreign bank account should receive their third stimulus payment via direct deposit, Direct Express card, or cheque in the mail.

Direct deposit and Direct Express card payments were sent to this group on April 21, and physical checks were sent to them on April 23. (track your stimulus check here.)

Assuming you live outside the United States, you should have received the first two payments of your monthly benefits by direct deposit to a US bank account. A tax return is required if you haven’t received your money yet. You can learn all you need to know about stimulus checks and citizenship in this comprehensive guide.

First or second stimulus payments could be delayed if I don’t receive the entire amount from the IRS.

According to the IRS, the first two stimulus payments were automatically available to persons receiving Social Security retirement, SSDI, SSI, and Railroad Retirement benefits, as well as Veterans Affairs beneficiaries.

You don’t have to file a federal income tax return in 2018 or 2019 if these federal benefits were your only source of income. You should have received a stimulus payment under the CARES Act. (The IRS had previously stated that a simple tax return was not required.)

That money could have been garnished for child support or diverted to pay a specific type of creditor if it didn’t arrive; however, the regulations changed when the second check arrived. It’s also possible that the IRS made a mistake, or that they wanted additional information regarding your eligibility.

To get your money now, you must claim the increased amount as part of the Recovery Rebate Credit for tax season 2020. There is no way around it: You must file even if you don’t normally do so. It’s now possible to file your 2020 taxes until the 17th of May in 2021.

A payment trace may be requested by those who received a letter from the IRS but never received the money, for example. In these circumstances, you may need to contact the IRS to inquire about your payment.

More information about your eligibility for the first two stimulus payments is available to you by creating and checking an IRS account, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

When claiming stimulus funds for my dependents, how should I go about it?

Your dependents should have received a catch-up payment by October 2020 if you used the IRS’ Non-Filers service between May 5 and August 15, 2020. You should have received your catch-up payment by direct deposit if you received your stimulus money that way. Others would have received it in the mail as well.

You should have received your missing dependant money by the end of 2020 if you filed your claim by Nov. 21, 2020, in the same manner in which you received your initial payment (likely direct deposit or by mail).

When filing for a Recovery Rebate Credit in 2021, if you miss the deadline, you must include your payment on your 2020 tax return in order to receive the credit.

Check your IRS account to find out the status of your or your dependent’s first or second payment.

Including what to do if you have an issue with your payment, here is all we know about the third stimulus checks.