Where to check your stimulus payment status
The IRS has a tool called Get My Payment that shows you whether a stimulus payment was sent, when it was sent, and how it was delivered. You reach it through IRS.gov — search "Get My Payment" or go directly to the tool on their website. You will need your Social Security number, date of birth, and street address to log in.
Get My Payment tells you one of four things: the payment was deposited to a bank account (and which date), it was mailed as a check (and the mailing date), it was sent to a debit card (and when), or no payment was issued to you. The tool updates once per day, usually overnight, so checking multiple times in one day will not show new information.
If you did not receive a stimulus payment and Get My Payment says one was issued, you can also contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040. Have your tax return from the year the payment was sent ready — the IRS will ask which year you are asking about, because there were multiple rounds of stimulus payments (2020, 2021, and 2022).
Key Takeaways
- Get My Payment on IRS.gov is the official tool to check whether a stimulus payment was sent and how it was delivered.
- The tool shows you a deposit date, check mailing date, or debit card delivery date — whichever applies to your payment.
- If Get My Payment says a payment was mailed but you never received the check, you can request a replacement through the IRS.
- Stimulus payments were sent in three separate rounds: March 2020, December 2020 to January 2021, and March 2021.
- If you did not receive a payment and Get My Payment shows no record, you may need to claim it on your next tax return.
What to do if your payment was mailed as a check
Checks took longer to arrive than direct deposits. The IRS mailed stimulus checks in batches over several weeks, so the mailing date shown in Get My Payment is not the same as the date it arrived at your address. Checks typically took one to three weeks to arrive after the mailing date, depending on postal service delays and your location.
If Get My Payment shows your check was mailed more than four weeks ago and you still have not received it, you can request a replacement check through the IRS. Go back to Get My Payment, select the payment in question, and choose the option to request a replacement. The IRS will mail a new check, which takes another four to six weeks.
Do not cash the original check if it arrives after you have requested a replacement — the IRS will catch the duplicate and may hold up future payments while they investigate. If both checks arrive, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to report it.
What to do if your payment went to the wrong bank account
Some people received stimulus deposits to bank accounts they no longer used or accounts that belonged to a tax preparer or debt collector. Get My Payment will show the deposit date and the last four digits of the account number where the money was sent.
If the account shown is not yours, contact the bank that received the deposit. Tell them the money was a federal stimulus payment sent to the wrong account and ask them to reverse it. Banks can reverse deposits that were sent in error, but they are not required to do so — some will, some will not. If the bank refuses, you will need to claim the payment on your next tax return and explain that it was deposited to the wrong account.
If a tax preparer or debt collector received your stimulus payment, the process is more complicated. Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 with the account information shown in Get My Payment. The IRS can sometimes recover the money, but it may take several months.
Tracking a payment sent to a debit card
Some stimulus payments were loaded onto prepaid debit cards issued by the IRS contractor. Get My Payment will show the card was activated on a specific date. The card itself arrives in the mail separately from the activation date — it typically took one to two weeks after activation for the physical card to reach you.
If Get My Payment shows your payment was sent to a debit card but you never received the card in the mail, contact the card issuer. The issuer's name appears in Get My Payment. You can request a replacement card, which takes about two weeks to arrive. In the meantime, you can often access the funds through the issuer's mobile app or website if you have the card number.
If you received the card but it was damaged, expired, or you lost it, contact the card issuer to request a replacement. There is usually no fee for a replacement card.
What happens if Get My Payment shows no record of a payment
If you search Get My Payment and it says no payment was issued to you, it means either you were not sent a stimulus payment in that round, or the IRS does not have your information on file correctly. This can happen if you did not file a tax return that year, your address was wrong in IRS records, or you were claimed as a dependent on someone else's return.
You can still claim the stimulus payment on your next tax return. The IRS calls this the Recovery Rebate Credit. When you file, you will report how much you should have received and claim it as a credit against taxes owed or as part of your refund. You will need to know which year the payment was for — the IRS issued payments in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
If you believe you should have received a payment and Get My Payment shows nothing, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. Have your Social Security number, date of birth, and the tax year in question ready. The IRS can tell you why no payment was issued and whether you can claim it on a tax return instead.
Understanding the three rounds of stimulus payments
There were three separate stimulus payment programs, and Get My Payment only shows information about one at a time. You need to check each round separately to see the full picture of what you received.
| Payment Round | Sent When | Amount Per Person |
|---|---|---|
| First Economic Impact Payment | March to May 2020 | Up to $1,200 |
| Second Economic Impact Payment | December 2020 to January 2021 | Up to $600 |
| Third Economic Impact Payment | March to December 2021 | Up to $1,400 |
When you open Get My Payment, it defaults to the most recent payment round. To check an earlier round, you will see an option to select a different year. Check all three years if you are not sure which payments you received.
What to do if you received a payment you should not have
If Get My Payment shows you received a stimulus payment but you believe you were not may have access to to it — for example, you were claimed as a dependent or your income was too high — you do not have to return it. The IRS does not require people to return stimulus payments even if they later discover they were ineligible.
However, if you received a payment in error and want to return it, you can send a check to the IRS. Make the check payable to "United States Treasury" and write the tax year and "Economic Impact Payment" on the memo line. Mail it to the IRS address for your state, which you can find on IRS.gov. Include a note explaining which payment you are returning.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for a stimulus payment to show up in Get My Payment?
Get My Payment updates once per day, usually overnight. If the IRS just issued your payment, it may take one to two days to appear in the tool. If you checked yesterday and saw nothing, check again today. Do not call the IRS until at least three to five business days have passed since you first checked.
Can I check someone else's stimulus payment status?
No. Get My Payment requires your own Social Security number, date of birth, and address. You cannot look up another person's payment status, even if you are their spouse or parent. Each person must check their own status using their own information.
What if I moved after the stimulus payment was sent?
If you moved and the check was mailed to your old address, the post office may have forwarded it to your new address if you filed a change of address. If it did not arrive, you can request a replacement check through Get My Payment. For direct deposits and debit cards, the address does not matter — the money goes to the account or card number, not to a physical location.
Do I need to report stimulus payments on my taxes?
No. Stimulus payments are not taxable income and you do not report them on your tax return. The only exception is if you did not receive a payment you were may have access to to — in that case, you claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your return to get the money as a refund or credit.
What if Get My Payment is down or not working?
Get My Payment occasionally goes offline for maintenance, usually at night. Try again in a few hours. If it stays down for more than a day, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. They can tell you your payment status over the phone, though wait times are often long.