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Missing stimulus check? File 2020 tax return with the IRS

(File/Getty)

WASHINGTON (KTVX) — Are you missing your first or second stimulus check?

You may need to file a 2020 tax return with the Internal Revenue Service to get it.


The IRS issued the third round of the Economic Impact Payments (EIP) in April. Officials say most Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients should have received their EIPs by now.

Anyone missing their first or second EIP or the full amount is asked to file a 2020 tax return with the IRS and claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit (RRc) as soon as possible.

The IRS is asking the public to file the 2020 tax return even if they have no income to report for 2020. When the tax return is processed, officials say the IRS will pay the RRC as a tax refund.

The IRS will also send any additional third EIP amount owed in 2021 separately.

If you have already filed your taxes, you do not need to do anything else.

The IRS has also been distributing rounds of so-called “plus-up” stimulus checks on a weekly basis. The supplemental checks went to people who were owed more during previous rounds of stimulus based on the information provided on their 2020 taxes.

If you are expecting a payment, you can use the IRS Get My Payment tool to see the status of your stimulus or plus-up payments.

To learn more, visit Social Security’s Economic Impact Payments and Tax Credits page.