During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government passed laws that sent out up to three rounds of stimulus checks to eligible individuals. But you could still be eligible for one of those payments if you missed out due to not filing a tax return in 2021.
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Specifically, in 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, passed under former President Joe Biden, provided stimulus payments of up to $1,400 per eligible individual, which includes dependents. So, a family of four, for example, might have been eligible for $5,600 in stimulus checks.
However, some taxpayers missed out on these payments due to issues with not properly claiming the credits on their tax returns. So, in December 2024, the IRS announced it would automatically send out payments to 1 million taxpayers who should have received them but didn’t because of filing oversights. Even still, this does not necessarily cover all who should have been eligible to receive the stimulus but didn’t, due to not filing a tax return.
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The good news? There’s still a narrow window of time left to file your taxes for tax year 2021 and claim this payment. The deadline is this year’s Tax Day, April 15, 2025.
To be eligible for this stimulus check, you must not have already received the Third Economic Impact Payment as part of the government’s coronavirus tax relief programs. Eligibility also depends on your adjusted gross income (AGI) for tax year 2021.
To receive the full $1,400 per individual and eligible dependent, your AGI has to be $75,000 or less for single filers or $150,000 or less for those who are married filing jointly. The stimulus payment then phases out at higher incomes, with no payments for those whose AGI is at least $80,000 for single filers or $160,000 for those who are married filing jointly.
Moreover, if you haven’t received the payment and it seems like you should be eligible, that’s likely because you didn’t file a tax return in 2021. Even if you didn’t earn any income and normally don’t file taxes, you should if you want to claim eligibility for this stimulus check.
To check if you have already received this payment, you can log in or create an account through the IRS website. Once logged in, within the Tax Records page, check the section “Economic Impact Payment Information” to see if you’ve received anything for any of the three rounds of economic impact payments — although it’s too late for the first two, you can still claim the third.
