What to Do If Your Stimulus Check Is the Wrong Amount

What to Do If Your Stimulus Check Is the Wrong Amount

Know that if your stimulus check did fall short—which can occur if it doesn’t include the necessary payments for a certain dependent—you can indeed take action to receive the money that you’re entitled to.

The Internal Revenue Service promised earlier this week to ramp up efforts to provide much-needed cash to millions of financially struggling Americans—and it appears that great progress already has been made.

As of Friday, the agency has confirmed that one hundred twenty-seven million coronavirus relief checks—totaling roughly $750 billion—already have been sent out under the American Rescue Plan.

But amid the rush to get the stimulus money quickly out to those most affected by the ongoing pandemic, there have been some instances of recipients getting much less what they were expecting. You can calculate what you should be getting here.

Know that if your stimulus check did fall short—which can occur if it doesn’t include the necessary payments for a certain dependent—you can indeed take action to receive the money that you’re entitled to.

According to the IRS website, it states that “if you didn’t get any payments or got less than the full amounts, you may qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2020 tax return to claim the credit even if you don’t normally file.”

The agency also advises that you keep the form you receive regarding your stimulus payment and refer to it when you file your tax return.

You can also speak to a live human regarding your check amount by dialing 800-919-9835, but you should know that “IRS live phone assistance is extremely limited at this time,” according to the agency’s website. Keep in mind that some individuals have confirmed that they haven’t been able to get through to a live representative.

For married folks out there, be aware that the IRS has admitted that some couples are receiving their stimulus checks in two separate payments. According to the agency, the reason is apparently due to a glitch in the system that divides the payments for married couples in which one individual has filed an injured spousal claim.

However, many couples who have already received the direct deposits were initially led to believe that they received only half of the stimulus payment they were entitled to. This led to hundreds of taxpayers expressing their frustration in the Facebook group called “Half Stimulus Missing/Received Status,” which was set up “for stimulus recipients that are seeing only half of their expected payment as pending or deposited. With little being reported to help us figure this out, we can help each other until we find an answer.”

The IRS has assured the public that the second half of the payment may arrive in the same week or within weeks of the first payment, adding that these couples can check the status of their payments using the IRS “Get My Payment” tool at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.

If you’re still patiently waiting to receive your third stimulus check, take note that fewer Americans will receive checks this time around, so make sure to confirm if you even qualify. Individuals who earn as much as $75,000 in adjusted gross income (AGI), or couples making $150,000—in addition to their children or adult dependents—qualify for the full $1,400 per individual.  

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.