Does Walmart cash stimulus check payments?

According to the latest data, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has sent out over 156 million Economic Impact payments, worth $372 billion, since the third round of impact aide began on 12 March. Of those, more than 20 million payments were mailed out as physical paper checks which were received in the post.

Around 5% of the US population do not have a bank account

If your stimulus payment arrived as a paper check, there are several ways of cashing the check, charging it to a store money card or depositing it directly into your bank account.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) estimates that around 7.1 million US households, around 5%, do not have a bank account – many of whom will have to find other ways of cashing their stimulus check. There are several ways of doing this but bear in mind that in some cases you will be charged a fee. Always read the fine print and ask what charges might be involved before signing up to any money conversion service.

The easiest and cheapest way to cash your stimulus check is through your local bank or credit union. You may be required to set up your own personal bank account but at least you will have somewhere to safely store your stimulus money until you need to use it. If you would prefer not to set up a bank account, ask the local bank if they will cash your stimulus check, what fees they charge and if they have a dollar limit. Banks are more likely to cash a government check like your stimulus payment than stores.

Cash your stimulus check at Walmart

For those who don’t have a bank account, Walmart has provided a couple of solutions for cashing in stimulus checks or charging them onto a moneycard. Be aware that this service is not free, you will have to pay a small charge. Walmart offers a service for cashing government-issued stimulus checks of up to $5,000.

Walmart will charge a small fee to cash stimulus checks

Walmart charges $4 to cash a stimulus check of up to $1,000. The store charges $8 to cash a stimulus check that's $1,000–$5,000. In August 2020, Walmart decreased its check-cashing limit from $7,500 to $5,000. You need to bring your stimulus check and a valid ID to the customer service desk or the Money Services center at Walmart.

Load your stimulus payment onto a Walmart MoneyCard

Alternatively, you can add the amount of your stimulus check to a Walmart MoneyCard. There is a one-time $1 fee for the purchase of a card at any Walmart store. This fee is collected at the register and is not deducted from your card account. Walmart MoneyCard is subject to a monthly fee of $5.94. However, the fee is waived if you deposit at least $1,000 to your card in the previous month.

Customers can use the MoneyCard for Walmart purchases. The Walmart MoneyCard is a low-priced, re-loadable, and prepaid debit card that you can use to make purchases electronically everywhere Visa and Mastercard debit cards are accepted. If you want to get cash out of the wall, you may be able to withdraw cash with no charge at Walmart MoneyCenters and Customer Service desks. However, there is a $2.50 fee for every withdrawal at other ATMs and a $0.50 charge for every ATM balance enquiry.