Third stimulus check: can social security recipents expect it?
Recipients of Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income or Veterans Affairs benefits will be eligible for a third stimulus check.
After President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Thursday, 11 March, the IRS began sending the first wave of $1,400 stimulus checks out to some of the 160 million Americans that are eligible for the payments.
Those first batch of payments began hitting bank accounts last Friday, 12 March, with the IRS stating: “Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks by direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card."
Third Stimulus Check: Social Security recipients will receive the payment
As with the previous checks, people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) will once again be eligible to receive a third stimulus check, and, according to the IRS, "should not need to take any action" to get their $1,400 payment.
However, recipients of social security benefits cannot expect to receive a check during this first batch of payments and will have to wait a little longer.
According to the IRS, “Social Security and other federal beneficiaries will generally receive this third payment the same way as their regular benefits. A payment date for this group will be announced shortly.”
The IRS will automatically send the third stimulus payment “to people who didn’t file a return but receive Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Affairs benefits.”
However, some of those expecting to receive an automatic third stimulus payment based on their federal benefits information may need to file a 2020 tax return even if they don't usually file taxes.
"If your third payment does not include a payment for your qualified dependent who did not receive a third payment, you must file a 2020 tax return to be considered for an additional third payment even if you don't normally file," the IRS advised on March 4.
Third Stimulus Check: Social Security Administration to provide more info soon
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has not yet given updated advice on the third stimulus payment for social security recipients, but says it will “add helpful Q&As to [its website] soon.”
"If you still subscribe to receive updates from us when we update our EIP1 and EIP2 pages, we will automatically add you to a subscription list for this new EIP page," the SSA stated.
How to track the payment status of your stimulus check
The IRS Track My Payment Tool is now available for this latest third round of stimulus payments, allowing you to check the status of your $1,400 check. Although it is unclear if this IRS Track My Payment Tool has been updated for social security recipients, it is probably worth checking.