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Americans who have given the IRS their direct-deposit details will get paid the quickest.
- Stimulus payments are coming to millions of Americans via direct deposit this month.
- If you file taxes but don't usually get a tax refund and therefore haven't given the IRS your direct-deposit information, you might have to wait several weeks or months to get paid.
- The IRS says it is developing a "web-based portal" to collect bank details for quicker payment, but for now you can expect to get a paper check in the mail.
- Read more personal finance coverage.
The US government will start sending coronavirus relief payments to Americans this week, mostly via direct deposit.
Up to 70 million people who have given the IRS their bank information to receive prior tax refunds will see the money in their bank account by April 15, Patricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, told The Washington Post.
Payments for most people will be based on the adjusted gross income reported on their latest tax return, either 2018 or 2019. Social Security recipients and railroad service retirees who haven't filed a tax return in the past two years will get the maximum payment - $1,200 - automatically sent to the address or bank account where they receive their benefits.
Americans who haven't provided bank details will get a paper check
Unfortunately, not all taxpayers have had the chance to provide direct-deposit details to the IRS. If you haven't been owed a tax refund in the last two years, you probably haven't included bank information on your tax returns.
The IRS says on its FAQs page that it's developing a "web-based portal" to collect direct-deposit information from Americans who qualify for payments, but it hasn't released any further details. Until the IRS portal is up and running, you can expect to receive your stimulus payment as a paper check.
Remember that if you receive a call, email, Facebook message, or other communication soliciting your bank information for your stimulus check, it's probably a scam. The government will never ask you to provide or verify personal information over the phone and certainly will not ask for money.
The agency plans to start sending out checks around April 24 and to pay the lowest earners first, according to an internal memo reviewed by The Post. The highest earners who qualify for stimulus payments will likely have to wait until September for their checks to arrive by mail.
TurboTax has launched a free portal of its own for those who are not required to file a full tax return this year and want to submit direct-deposit details to the IRS. The registration portal creates a minimal tax return in lieu of a full tax return so that low-income Americans can receive their payments quicker. You shouldn't use it if you have a tax liability, or if you have no tax liability but you want to file a full return to get refundable tax credits, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), for 2019.
Once the IRS has delivered your payment, either by direct deposit or mail, you should receive a notice within 15 days at your last known address confirming how and when the money was sent to you.
- Read more on managing your money in this tumultuous time:
- 3 options for people struggling to pay their mortgage during the global health crisis
- 4 reasons to get disability insurance, even if you don't think you need it
- If you've been financially impacted by the coronavirus, you may be able to pause payments on these 8 bills
- How to get a stimulus check from the US government, which could pay up to $1,200 if you qualify
- In response to the coronavirus, credit card issuers like Amex and Capital One are letting customers skip payments without interest and more
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