Still no stimulus check? Here are some reasons why you may have not been stimulated

By DAVE FAVILA
LFN

The federal government recently began sending out stimulus checks in an effort to provide Americans some relief from the economic shutdown the COVID-19 pandemic has caused.

And while thousands of Americans have indeed seen money land in their bank accounts, some, unfortunately, have not, leaving those to wonder why the delay?

While the answer can sometimes be complicated, it usually boils down to just a handful of reasons.

First, if you didn’t get a federal tax refund in 2018 or 2019, that could be a big reason because the IRS might not have your banking information that is needed to direct-deposit funds into your account. Even if you filed a return in the past two years, you must have also received a refund in order for the IRS to have your information.

Second, the IRS may not have your current banking information. According to CNN, some people have said that their money was sent to an old account and therefore the funds were transferred back to the IRS. If this is the case, the payment may likely come later by paper check in the mail.

Third, your money may have been transferred into a temporary account set up by a tax preparer. Often, tax preparers like H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt may set up a temporary account where your annual refund money is first deposited prior to them deducting their fees and service costs. Afterward they transfer the remaining balance back to your account. When stimulus checks were sent out in 2008, this scenario caused delay of funds.

Customers later reported eventually getting checks in the mail.
Four, if you filed a paper return in 2019, you may have to wait on a paper check since the IRS has stopped processing paper returns until centers are able to reopen after the pandemic subsides.

And finally, if you aren’t normally required to file a tax return, you might have to take some action before you get your stimulus check. This scenario affects those who did not earn over a certain amount. In this case, people can go online on the IRS’s website for non-filers and fill out basic information before a payment can be processed.

The IRS recently launched a website where people can check the status of their stimulus payment at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.
Keep in mind, however, that paper checks will be issued at a rate of about 5 million per week, meaning it could take up to 20 weeks to issue all the checks.