Stimulus check US 2022: what are the options to still receive the payment?
If you have not yet received your full entitlement from the Economic Impact Payment, it’s not too late to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.
During the first 18 months of the pandemic the federal government sent out three rounds of stimulus checks to the majority of Americans in a bid to ease the financial burden of covid-19.
The IRS has confirmed that it has issued all first, second and third payments, also known as Economic Impact Payments, but not everyone who is eligible has had their payment. In some cases, the IRS did not have the relevant information on file for some low-income households, so was unable to make the payment.
Those who are missing a payment, or received less than their full entitlement, can claim a back payment in the form of a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 or 2021 federal tax return. Although the tax deadline for 2020 and 2021 returns have both passed, the tax agency gives filers up to three years from the due date of the return to file and receive a tax credit refund.
Mark Steber, chief tax information officer at Jackson Hewitt, explains: “This means you can file your return and receive your Recovery Rebate Credit through April 15, 2024.”
How can you file for a Recovery Rebate Credit?
If you have not yet filed a tax return for either 2020 or 2021 and think you have missed out on a stimulus check payment that was distributed during either of those tax years, it’s not too late to claim. To do so you will need to file a tax return with the IRS, even if your household income means that you are not usually required to do so.
You can file a past due tax return in the same way that you would have done before the deadline, either online or by mail.
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However the IRS strongly advises that filers take advantage of the e-filing online portal, which will result in your returns being processed more quickly and you receiving the Recovery Rebate Credit as quickly as possible.
When you do so, remember that the first two stimulus checks were distributed in the 2020 tax year, and the third in the 2021 tax year. To trigger the payment you will need to claim the missing payments on the tax return for the relevant year.
You can use this mechanism to claim other outstanding tax credits that you may have missed out on, such as the Earned Income Credit.