- Some Americans are complaining on social media that their stimulus checks were sent to the wrong bank accounts, according to a recent report.
- When people went online to check their payment, they reportedly saw the wrong account number listed. The Internal Revenue Service told USA Today they were unaware of the issue but would look into it.
- Checks sent to the wrong recipient will bounce back to the IRS and be redistributed, according to an IRS spokesperson.
- If you are expecting a payment check the IRS portal "Get My Payment" and verify with your bank that the payment was deposited. Contact the IRS through their website to report any issues.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Some Americans are saying their relief checks from the government's 2 trillion dollar stimulus package were deposited into the wrong bank accounts, according to a report from USA Today.
People across the country are depending on these checks to help with rent, car payments, and other expenses as the number of job losses skyrockets with more than 22 million people filing for unemployment during the past four weeks.
Complaints appeared on Twitter after people began to check the IRS portal, "Get My Payment," to find out the status of their stimulus check, according to USA Today's report. The website experienced technical difficulties as an onslaught of people tried to enter the portal for the first time.
But to the dismay of some, once they accessed the portal, the account number listed was reportedly incorrect, unfamiliar, or from an old account they no longer used.
"You sent my check to the wrong account number!" Lydia Cooper tweeted Thursday morning, the New York Post reported. "I've had my account for years. Bank says there's nothing they can do."
A message on the portal instructs users to contact their bank to make sure their payment appears, according to USA Today. If the payment isn't showing up, contact the IRS through their website and report the issue.
"You're jubilant because you've been waiting to get that money," Chris Rodriguez, a contractor in Lansing, Michigan told USA Today. "And you look down and the bank account number is not even close."
It is not known how widespread the issue is - the IRS has yet to confirm any problems with payments going to the wrong account - but Jodie Reynolds, a spokesperson from the IRS, told USA Today it would be investigated.
Reynolds also told USA Today that if checks were sent to the wrong account, the money would return to IRS if the name on the account did not match the check's recipient.
"The payment isn't going to bounce back and just sit here,'' Reynolds told USA Today. "We will turn around and cut them a paper check and make sure they get their money.''
The IRS portal "Get My Payment" also has an option for people to provide the proper bank information before checks are sent out, the report said. But for some American's whose checks were already sent to the wrong account, the delays are burdensome.
Even though checks can be returned and redistributed, it's unclear how long it will take for recipients to receive their proper payment. The IRS did not immediately respond to Business Insider for comment.
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You sent my check to the wrong account number! I've had my account for years. Bank says there's nothing they can do. Now what? please advise. pic.twitter.com/UT8Nv5RfzZ
- Lydia Cooper (@OKIOU1) April 16, 2020