For the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years, the government issued $931 billion in stimulus checks to help Americans get through the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, some people still haven’t received their money over a year and a half following the last stimulus payments began to be distributed.
You might be able to claim the stimulus debt as a “recovery rebate” tax credit on your 2020 or 2021 federal tax return if you’re one of the many people who are due money from the stimulus program. Only if the IRS didn’t issue you a stimulus payment or if you received a partial payment can you qualify for the recovery rebate credit.
Claim Your Missing Stimulus Check
The first two payments were calculated using your tax information from 2018 or 2019. Individuals qualified for full stimulus payments if their AGI (income minus certain deductions) was $75,000 or less ($150,000 for married couples). For every $100 earned above the income level, the IRS cut stimulus benefits by $5.
The first full stimulus payment was $1,200 for singles, $2,400 for couples, and $500 for each eligible dependent. The second full stimulus payment was $600 for singles, $1,200 for couples, and $600 for each dependant.
Your 2019 or 2020 tax information was used to calculate the third stimulus check. If an individual’s AGI was $75,000 or less ($150,000 for married couples), they were eligible for the entire stimulus payment. For single people, the complete payment was $1,400; for married couples, it was $2,800; and there was a further $1,400 for each dependant.
You were given a portion of the third stimulus payment if your income was over the cutoff but not more than $80,000 ($160,000 for married couples).
