LAST UPDATED: March 16, 2021
This article will continue to be updated as more information is made available.
The House gave final approval for legislation on Wednesday, March 10th which allocates money for vaccines, schools, small businesses and anti-poverty programs such as an expanded child tax credit that would mean new monthly payments sent to many parents. The American Rescue Plan Act also guarantees millions of American households will receive a third round of direct stimulus payments.
Over the weekend, the IRS re-launched the “Get My Payment” tool on the IRS.gov website to help Americas track their own payments.
DON’T TRY TO CALL THE IRS OR YOUR BANK FOR STIMULUS INFORMATION:
The IRS is has asked that taxpayers not call them— or their financial institutions— for answers on their status or eligibility for the AMRPA stimulus payment. IRS phone operators do not have additional information beyond what’s available on the IRS.gov website.
Your best bet is to visit the IRS.gov website and utilize their GET MY PAYMENT tool once it's updated to check the status. According to the IRS, data is updated once per day overnight, so there's no need to check more than once per day.
Third ROUND OF Stimmy PAYMENTS: WHAT TO EXPECT
How much will the third stimulus payments be for?
This new bill provides direct payments worth up to $1,400 per person with families slated to receive an additional $1,400 per dependent. A couple filing jointly with two children, for example, could receive up to $5,600.
Who is eligible for the 3rd stimulus?
The full amount goes to individuals with social security numbers earning less than $75,000 of adjusted gross income, heads of households (like single parents) earning less than $112,500 and married couples earning less than $150,000. But then the payments phase out as income goes up -- faster than previous stimulus payments.
Will all my dependents qualify for the extra $1,400 payment?
One big change with third stimulus checks is that all dependents will qualify for the extra $1,400 payment – regardless of their age. This means that families claiming dependents such as college students or younger elderly parents living with them will receive the extra payments in their third-round stimulus checks.
What are the differences in the income level phase-outs in the American Rescue Plan Act compared with the CARES act?
Individuals who earn at least $80,000 a year, heads of households who earn at least $120,000 and married couples who earn at least $160,000 will be completely cut off from the third round of stimulus payments- regardless of how many children they have.
What tax year are the payments based on?
Eligibility for and the amount of your third stimulus check will be based on either your 2019 or 2020 return. According to the American Rescue Plan, if your 2020 tax return isn't filed and processed by the time the IRS starts processing your third stimulus payment, the tax agency will use information from your 2019 tax return.
If your 2020 return is already filed and processed when the IRS is ready to send your payment, then your stimulus check eligibility and amount will be based on information from your 2020 return. If your 2020 return is filed and/or processed after the IRS sends you a stimulus check, but before July 15, 2021 (or September 1 if the April 15 filing deadline is pushed back), the IRS will send you a second payment for the difference between what your payment should have been if based on your 2020 return and the payment actually sent based on your 2019 return.
Third Stimulus Payment Calculator
When should I expect my third stimulus payment?
Are Payments arriving on March 17?
When the IRS first announced last Friday that payments were starting, it noted that the "official payment date" would be March 17 and some "may see the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional payments in their accounts" before then.
The first people to receive the payments are likely those who already have direct deposit set up with the IRS. Then, followed by staggered start dates for physical checks and EIP cards the end of March or beginning of April.
What we learned from the first two checks is that how you get your stimulus money often dictates when you get it.
- Direct-deposit: Typically got their stimulus money in the first wave. But both times there were issues involving deposits going to temporary accounts that were rejected by banks. In some cases, these people got paper checks or EIP cards instead, or had to wait for the issue to resolve.
- Paper checks: This is the payment type the IRS sent out second. This method can take weeks to arrive by mail, but the check can be deposited or cashed right away.
- EIP cards: This payment type arrives as a prepaid debit card you must activate online to use. The IRS issued EIP cards last, delaying receipt for this recipient group by weeks.
What Will The Get My Payment Tool Show me?
Here’s what this tool may show you:
- the status of your stimulus payment
- confirm your payment type - paper check, debit card, or direct deposit
- a projected delivery date
- “Payment Status #2 - Not Available”
If you are getting "Payment Status Not Available" from the IRS stimulus check tracker -- don't be alarmed.
- You are not eligible for the payment.
- The payment has yet to be processed
- The IRS doesn't have enough information to issue the payment to you
The agency said it will continue to issue the 2021 Economic Impact Payments throughout 2021.
According to the IRS, data is updated once per day overnight, so there's no need to check more than once per day.
NOTE: The IRS has asked the public NOT to call them to ask questions. All of the information about the stimulus checks are listed on the IRS website.
How does the IRS know who gets a check?
The White House created a website to give an overview of what the American people need to know about the direct payments in the American Rescue Plan. Here's how it said checks are determined:
- For households who have already filed their income tax return for 2020, the IRS will use that information to determine eligibility and size of payments.
- For households that haven’t yet filed for 2020, the IRS will review records from 2019 to determine eligibility and size of payment. That includes those who used the “non-filer portal” for previous rounds of payments.
- For tax returns with direct deposit or bank account information, the IRS will be able to send money electronically. For those households for which Treasury cannot determine a bank account, paper checks or debit cards will be sent.
What is the Child Tax Credit advance payment?
This latest stimulus package includes a provision that will temporarily increase the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child that is over 5 years of age and $3,600 for children under 5 for the 2021 tax year. It will also authorize periodic "child allowance" payments to families from July to December. Half the total credit amount will be paid in advance with the periodic payments, while the other half will be claimed on the tax return that you'll file next year.
It is currently assumed that these will be broken up into additional monthly payments, however they may be based on a different schedule once the IRS announces their final process. The IRS will also be required to create an online portal so that people can update their income, marital status, and the number of qualifying children. You'll be able to use the portal to opt out of the periodic payments if you'd rather take the full child credit on your 2021 return instead.
Is the 3rd stimulus check taxable?
As with the first two stimulus payments, your third stimulus check would be an advance payment of the recovery rebate tax credit for the 2021 tax year. As such, it wouldn't be included in your taxable income.
You also wouldn't be required to repay any stimulus check payments when filing your 2021 tax return — even if your third stimulus check is greater than your 2021 credit. If your third stimulus check is less than your 2021 credit, you would get the difference when you file your 2021 return next year.
Will someone who Recently passed away be sent a third stimulus check?
Under the current stimulus bill, anyone who died before January 1, 2021, would not be eligible for a third stimulus check. They would be treated as if they don't have a Social Security number.
If a person who died before 2021 was married and a member of the U.S. military, the surviving spouse could still receive a third stimulus check even if he or she doesn't have a Social Security number.
However, the extra $1,400 per dependent won't be available if a single parent died before 2021 or, in the case of a joint return, both parents died before then.
Will the 3rd stimulus payment be by back child support or other debts?
As with second-round checks, third stimulus checks won't be reduced to pay owed child support. Your payment will also be protected from reduction or offset to pay federal taxes, state income taxes, debts owed to federal agencies, and unemployment compensation debts. However, there is nothing included in the plan that will specifically protect your third round payment from private creditors, debt collectors, or bankruptcy proceedings.
What else is outlined in the American Rescue Plan?
- Funding for COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution, and development of an official disease tracking and warning system.
- Provides $300 federal boost to weekly unemployment payments and extending two key pandemic unemployment benefits programs through September 6.
- Support for a variety of emergency assistance and grant programs.
- Provides a 100% subsidy of COBRA health insurance premiums so unemployed workers can remain on their employer healthcare plans through the end of September.
- Extends the 15% increase in food stamp benefits through September, instead of having it expire at the end of June.
- Contains $880 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, to help increase participation and temporarily improve benefits, among other measures.
IS MY ACCOUNT ELIGIBLE FOR MOBILE DEPOSIT?
Mobile Deposit is a free service that allows you to use your smart phone or tablet to deposit a check conveniently into your 121 Financial account. To take advantage of this feature, you will need a 121 Financial account, be enrolled in online banking and have our mobile banking application.
Your account is eligible provided it meets the following conditions: your account is not frozen for any reason, you have not mishandled your account and/or services or you have not defaulted on any agreement(s) with 121 Financial. Agreements include but are not limited to an account agreement, a loan agreement or a Privilege Pay repayment plan.
HOW DO I MAKE A MOBILE DEPOSIT?
- Make sure your check is properly endorsed; the words “For Mobile Deposit at 121FCU” must be written under your signature.
- Open the 121 Financial mobile banking application and log into your account.
- Click the Menu button, then click the down arrow next to Services on the menu. Next, click on Deposit Check.
- Follow the prompts to select the account to receive the deposit and the amount. Then click on the Capture Image button.
- When taking a picture of your check, use the following guidelines to ensure you have a clear and readable image:
- Place the check on a flat surface with a dark background. The image should line up within the image box on your screen.
- Take the picture in a well light area and avoid casting shadows on the image.
- Hold the camera still to avoid any blurriness.
- Click Submit Deposit once completed.
- Keep a copy of your paper check for 14 calendar days once your deposit has been accepted.
WHEN WILL MY ACCOUNT BE CREDITED WITH MY MOBILE DEPOSIT?
Each business day, Mobile Deposits are posted after 3pm EST. Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Deposits using this service are not subject to the funds availability of Federal Reserve Board Regulation CC. Generally, the first $225 of your deposit will be available after your deposit is posted unless your account is open less than 30 days.
HOW DO I INSTALL THE 121FCU MOBILE APP?
The 121FCU mobile app is available on both the Apple App Store and on Google Play. Check out the short video below for a quick overview.
AVOIDING SCAMS
As with the last round of direct payments, be on the lookout for potential scams from phishing emails, phone calls and texts, spoofed numbers, copycat websites, social media posts and messages, and more.
Scammers will use any method they can to gain access to your personal information or your payment itself. Visit our article on avoiding Coronavirus Scams for more information on how to keep your finances and personal information safe and secure.
121 Financial, nor any other financial institution, will ever call you and ask for specific account details or personal information. If you get a suspicious call like this from someone claiming to be from 121 Financial, please hang up and call us at 904-723-6300.
WILL THE IRS CONTACT ME DIRECTLY ABOUT MY payment?
The IRS isn't going to call you asking you to provide or verify your financial information so you can get an Economic Impact Payment or your refund faster. Visit to IRS.gov for the most up-to-date information.
- The IRS will not call, email, or text you to verify or request your financial, banking or personal information.
- Watch out for websites and social media attempts to request money or personal information. IRS.gov is the official website.
- Don't open unexpected emails that look like they're coming from the IRS or click on any attachments or links.
- Don't engage potential scammers in any way. Forward suspicious emails to phishing@irs.gov
Please stay tuned as we will continue updating this page as more info becomes available. Thank you for being a valued member!
