When are the remaining stimulus check and 'plus-up' payments arriving?
The IRS has sent nearly 160 million direct payments, but there are still some waiting for their tax returns to be processed before they receive their full entitlement.
The distribution effort overseen by the IRS to get the $1,400 stimulus checks out to eligible Americans is now nearly at the end, little over a month since the American Rescue Plan was signed into law.
After months of discussions President Joe Biden signed the bill on 11 March and the IRS began sending out the payments soon after. As of 14 April, the tax authority say they have now sent out over 159 million direct payments, comprising a total of $376 billion in federal funding.
When will the next round of stimulus checks be sent out?
As they draw close to the 160 million rough estimate that was circulated when the package was signed into law, the IRS are yet to announce any complete groups of stimulus check recipients who have not received any of their payments yet.
Wednesday 14 April was the official payment date for the last large batch of payments to be sent out as Veterans Affairs beneficiaries finally got their stimulus check money. The latest burst of payments saw around two million stimulus checks distributed, worth in excess of $3.4 billion.
This suggests that the IRS believe that the different eligibility groups have all been covered, although it is to be expected that administrative errors may mean some have slipped through the cracks. It is also worth considering that recipients waiting for paper stimulus checks or an Economic Impact Payment debit card may have to wait a bit longer for the physical payment to arrive in the post.
Stimulus check ‘plus-up’ payments continue to be distributed
But while payments have started for all groups, there is one group of recipients who will continue to get their money over the coming months. Recipients of ‘plus-up’ payments are those who have been granted additional stimulus check entitlement by their recently-filed tax returns.
Many Americans who suffered a loss of income over the last 12 months could be eligible to receive a larger stimulus check than first thought. The IRS will only be able to judge this after the individual’s tax return has been processed, and the tax return deadline is not until 17 May.
The ‘plus-up’ payments will continue on a weekly basis, according to the IRS, as they battle to process tax returns for both 2020 and 2019. The majority of these payments will be made in the form of a direct deposit, but if the IRS do not have up-to-date banking details for you, there is a chance they may send it as a paper check in the mail.