GREENSBORO, N.C. — The IRS shows a stimulus check was mailed to you on January 6, so why haven’t you received it by now? You are certainly not the only person asking that question.
“If your stimulus check has a date on the IRS website marked January.6.2021 by mail, and you still haven't received it should we just count on having to file it on our taxes?”
“I received a message saying my check was mailed out on the 6th and I still have not received it!!! I need it really bad. Do you have any idea why I haven't received it yet?”
Before you think about filing early and claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit because your check hasn’t come in the mail, wait.
“They are mailing out 8 million debit cards, checks, and things. It’s not automatic. We are going to have to wait for the mail process to finish out,” said Mark Hensley, NC AARP Triad Region.
The IRS regularly updates its site. On January 15th, the IRS added a little something about the mailed stimulus checks under the FAQ page in a question about direct deposit.
“GMP (Get My Payment) reflects a date your payment was mailed; it may take up to three to four weeks for you to receive the payment”.
Let that sink in, it can be three to four weeks before your check shows up. If you had a January 6 mail date, that's February 3.
The IRS doesn't start processing tax returns this year until February 12th. You have time to get it in the mail without worrying about if you might have to claim it on taxes.
For folks who didn't receive all the stimulus money they believe they are eligible for, the next way to get the money is to file taxes. The Recovery Rebate Credit can be found on line 30 on each tax form.
If you don't normally file taxes, you will need to file taxes to claim this stimulus money. The IRS is making it easy for you to do so, with free e-filing. You can actually e-file now even though the IRS will not start processing returns until February 12.