5 On Your Side

Still no stimulus payment? Here are your options

Round two of stimulus checks hit round two of problems.

Posted Updated

By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL executive producer/5 On Your Side reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Round two of stimulus checks has hit round two of problems.

If you still haven’t received your $600 dollars yet, 5 On Your Side’s Monica Laliberte runs through your options.

5 On Your Side has complaint after complaint from viewers, desperately wondering where their stimulus money is:

  • "We haven’t received the latest round of stimulus checks," said Timothy Moss.
  • "Last time it was automatically deposited … this time they chose to mail it," said Trinna Langdon.
  • And Jill Brumley wrote "The website says the payment was mailed January 6."

So if you haven't gotten your stimulus money yet – what's the hold up?

First, the IRS lets you request a payment trace to track the economic impact payments.

You can request a trace after five days for a missing direct deposit, or four weeks if was mailed to a regular address.

So if your stimulus was mailed January 6, you have to wait until next Wednesday, February 3 to flag it.

Keep in mind, the United States is still seeing postal delays.

If it never arrives, you can claim the payment as a Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 return.

It’s Line 30 on a 1040 tax form.

"So if you qualified for the $600, you can put that down on the return," said Mele Perrego, a federally licensed tax professional.

"If you didn’t get the $1200 back in the spring and summer, you can put that down, too," she said.

Even if you normally do not file a tax return, Perrego suggests filing one this year if you haven’t received your stimulus.

For example, people who don't have enough income to be required to file taxes should still file a tax return this year if they haven't gotten their stimulus payment, according to Perrego.

And a reminder, anyone with income of $72,000 or less can file their Federal tax return electronically for free through the IRS Free File Program.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.