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What to Do If My Stimulus Check Hasn't Arrived?

Elizabeth
July 27, 2021

According to Forbes, more than half of eligible Americans have received their stimulus payments since the government started sending them out last month. However, that still means that millions of people haven’t received their stimulus check. Why?


It depends on a lot of different factors, such as whether or not you filed your taxes for the last two years, if you’ve set up a direct deposit, and how much money you made. We’ve got some answers to your questions and a step-by-step guide of what to do if you’re still waiting for your stimulus check to arrive via direct deposit or in the mail.

Stimulus Check Hasn’t Arrived? Here’s What To Do

Make Sure You’ve Filed Your Taxes

To qualify for a stimulus check, you’ll have to be a legal US resident who is not claimed (or eligible to be claimed) as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. Individuals who filed their 2018 tax returns or who have already filed their 2019 returns will qualify to receive a stimulus check. This means that you need to have filed at least your 2018 taxes (2019 taxes aren’t due until July 15th, 2020 now) to qualify. Regardless of your status, it’s advised to go ahead and file your previous years’ taxes now. If you’re not required to file, visit the IRS portal for non-filers to ensure the government has your information on file to send you the check.

Do You Qualify for a Stimulus Check?

Stimulus Payment

One reason why your government stimulus check might not have arrived is that you don’t qualify for one. Even if you’ve filed your taxes, to qualify for the maximum amount of $1,200 (excluding dependents), you have to have reported an adjusted gross income of less than $75,000. Those who made more than $99,000 won’t receive a check. If you reported more than $99,000 in AGI in 2018 or 2019, you won’t receive a stimulus check, sorry.

Check the IRS Stimulus Check Payment Schedule

As mentioned, the IRS is sending out payments on a rolling basis according to the reported adjusted gross income on your previous years’ tax returns. They sent out direct deposit checks to millions of Americans first and are now operating on a schedule according to income level.


Currently, the stimulus check payment schedule for mailing check looks like this (remember that these dates are the dates on which the government plans to mail your check; it could take a few days for it to actually arrive):

  • Less than $10,000: April 24
  • $10,001 - $20,000: May 1
  • $20,001 - $30,000: May 8
  • $30,001 - $40,000: May 15
  • $40,001 - $50,000: May 22
  • $50,001 - $60,000: May 29
  • $60,001 - $70,000: June 5
  • $70,001 - $80,000: June 12
  • $80,001 - $90,000: June 19
  • $90,001 - $100,000: June 26
  • $100,001 - $110,000: July 3
  • $110,001 - $120,000: July 10
  • $120,001 - $130,000: July 17
  • $130,001- $140,000: July 24
  • $140,001 - $150,000: July 31
  • $150,001 - $160,000: August 7
  • $160,001 - $170,000: August 14
  • $170,001 - $180,000: August 21
  • $180,001 - $190,000: August 28
  • $190,001 - $198,000: September 4

Check the IRS's Get My Payment Portal

One easy way to check the status of your stimulus check is to log on to the IRS’ Get My Payment portal. Simply head to the webpage and click on the blue “Get My Payment” button. You’ll be prompted to enter your Social Security number, your date of birth, address, and zip code. Once you hit enter, it should take you to a page where you can see your payment status, whether it's been scheduled or if the service can't yet determine your status. Hopefully, it will give you all of the information you need. However, some people are reporting that they receive a message that says “Payment Not Available.”

Why Is My Stimulus Check Payment Not Available?

If you receive an error message, it could be due to a few things. First, if you’ve filed your 2019 taxes recently, it could simply be because the IRS is still processing your most recent filing and hasn’t determined your eligibility yet. That seems to be the most common reason. Other common issues include the fact that banks are struggling to keep up with the high demand, your tax agency (H&R Block, Turbo Tax) didn’t report your direct deposit information, or you’ve entered the wrong information. In any case, we suggest visiting the Economic Impact Information Center to view the FAQ section for help.

Budgeting Your Stimulus Check

If everything checks out alright then chances are you simply haven’t received your stimulus check yet because you fall into a higher income bracket and the government hasn’t mailed you your check yet. 


Once you receive your check, however, you’ll want to ensure you budget the extra money correctly. Safeguard yourself against the future economic downfalls the country might face and put your money into an account that will help you earn interest to grow your savings. Then, spend the money in a way that’s optimized for cashback and savings.


Yep, we’re talking about the Cheese Debit Card. With cashback and saving bonus, and 0 banking fees, you’ll be able to save more money in a way that’ll help you stretch your stimulus check even further.  All you have to do is sign up for the debit card and begin to reap the financial benefits.