Direct deposit is over. Here’s what happens with your stimulus check now

Angela Lang/CNET

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Did you miss the cutoff to set up direct deposit with the IRS? That deadline was May 13, and it means you won’t get up to $1,200 in stimulus check money deposited directly to the bank. But skipping direct deposit doesn’t mean you won’t get your check at all. You’ll just get it a different way. Right now, the IRS is nearing the home stretch of its coronavirus stimulus payments, having paid over 140 million people to help offset financial hardships, with roughly 10 million more checks still to come. Some in Congress are pressing to pass a bill for a second stimulus check, too.

You can still get your share of this first (and potentially only) government relief package either through a prepaid EIP debit card from the US Treasury or in the US mail, without having to do a thing. We’ll walk you through some basic information about how you’ll get your payment and explain how you can track the money in two different ways.

If you’re looking for more help paying bills, here’s what we know about unemployment insurance, what you can do if you’ve lost your job and how the coronavirus is affecting your rent and car payments. We update this story often with new information.

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How will my check arrive, in the mail or through direct deposit?

Now that the IRS says it’s no longer accepting direct deposit information, the federal agency said it will continue to transfer relief money to bank accounts and focus on mailing paper checks, which should begin arriving through late May and 유로247 into June. The Treasury Department said it is also sending up to 4 million of those payments as EIP cards instead of paper checks. The Treasury Department hasn’t responded to our request for clarification as to who gets an EIP card.

Here’s how to figure out if you’re getting a check or EIP card in the mail or straight to your account if you didn’t set up direct deposit, using the Get My Payment tool.

If you filed taxes in 2018 or 2019 and included direct deposit information: You’re all set. The IRS should automatically deposit your check in the bank account you provided on your tax return.

If you filed in 2018 or 2019 but didn’t include direct deposit information: The IRS will mail you your payment.

If the bank account you put on your tax return is no longer active: The IRS will mail your check to the last address it has for you.

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If you had entered your banking information by Tuesday of last week: The IRS says your payment date should have been available in Get My Payment on Saturday. 

If you entered your bank information after last Tuesday and before noon ET on Wednesday: Your payment date should be available beginning this coming Saturday.

When will I get my check?

The IRS said it will be making payments through the rest of 2020. If you don’t receive a payment this year — or if you were due a larger payment than you received because of a new child, for example — the IRS said you can claim your allotted stimulus money next year by filing a 2020 tax return. 

Hopefully, you’ll get your payment much more quickly than that. You can use the Get My Payment portal to see your payment schedule. 

Note that sometimes even if you did manage to enter your banking information the IRS will still send you a check in the mail because it was already processing the payment. The IRS said it can take up to 14 days to receive a payment if this is the case.

Will there be a second round of stimulus checks?

While many US residents are still waiting for their first payments, the House of Representatives passed legislation on May 15 for additional economic relief, including a second coronavirus relief check for up to $1,200 per person and $6,000 per family. It’s a long way from becoming law, however.

For more, here’s how best to use your stimulus check and how to avoid being scammed.