Deadline is approaching to apply for your stimulus check in the US

The IRS has sent 122 million payments for a total of $207 billion, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate service. But that leaves about 28 million people who are still waiting. People who didn’t file a tax return for 2019 and who have qualifying children under 17 who might be eligible for additional relief money from the U.S. government.

To get the checks worth up to $500 per child, filers have until Tuesday 5 May to enter their information in the non-filer section of the Internal Revenue Services website. Social Security recipients and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries also have until 5 May to act if they haven’t received any money.

If you've missed the deadline you are still entitled to the payment.

What happens if they miss the deadline?

Most people will get their money automatically, but there are two groups of people who the IRS has announced must take action by 5 May to get their full payment. These include:

SSI recipients who have dependent children under 17 and who did not submit a 2018 or 2019 tax return.

Recipients of Veterans Affairs benefits who did not file a 2018 or 2019 return and who have dependent children under 17

If you belong to one of these two groups and you do not act by 5 May, you could receive a smaller stimulus payment than you're entitled to. This deadline is an updated one for recipients of Veterans Affairs benefits, who initially were told to submit their information by 22 April.

The IRS is able to obtain income details and bank information from the Social Security Administration or Department of Veterans Affairs. This enables them to send payments without benefits recipients being required to take any action.

However, the info the VA or SSA provides to the IRS does not include details on any dependents. In other words, if the IRS is relying on this info alone, they won't know if a benefits recipient has one or more dependent children who are eligible for a $500 stimulus payment.