Get My Payment Frequently Asked Questions

If you filed your 2018 or 2019 tax return, you can check Get My Payment for the status of your Economic Impact Payment.  If you filed your 2019 tax return and it has not been processed yet, you may receive “Payment Status Not Available.”

If you used the Non-Filer tool, you can check Get My Payment for the status of your Economic Impact Payment within two weeks. If you are required to file a 2019 tax return and you used the Non-Filer tool, this can cause a delay in processing your return and a delay with your Economic Impact Payment.

If you are an SSA-1099, RRB-1099, SSI or VA benefit recipient and did not file a return or use the Non-Filer tool, you can check Get My Payment for the status of your Economic Impact Payment now.

Either spouse can use Get My Payment by providing their own information for the security questions used to verify their identity. Once verified, the same payment status will be shown for both spouses. 

If you receive “Need More Information” and proceed to enter your direct deposit information, you should enter the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and Refund Amount or Amount You Owed exactly as it appears on your joint tax return. 

• The AGI can be found on Line 8b on your 2019 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, or Line 7 on your 2018 Form 1040.
• The refund amount can be found on Line 21a on your 2019 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, or line 20a on your 2018 Form 1040.
• The amount you owed can be found on Line 23 on your 2019 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, or Line 22 on your 2018 Form 1040.

Your Payment can only be directed to one bank account if you filed jointly.

Depending on your specific circumstances, it may not be possible for you to access Get My Payment.

If you used the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool: 

• Get My Payment will display your Payment Status and details within two weeks. Until your payment is scheduled, you will receive a “Payment Status Not Available” message.

If you receive Supplementary Security Income (SSI), Survivor or Disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits or Department of Veterans Affairs benefits  and did not file a return or use the Non-Filer tool:

• Get My Payment will display your Payment Status and details once it has been scheduled for delivery. Until then, you will receive a “Payment Status Not Available” message.
• You will not be able to use Get My Payment to provide your bank account information. The IRS will use the information from SSA or VA to generate your payment.
• You will receive your payment as a direct deposit or by mail, just as you would normally receive your benefits. For example, if your benefits are currently deposited to a Direct Express card, your EIP will also be deposited to that card. If your benefits are currently deposited to your bank account, your EIP will also be deposited to that account. 

Direct Express Account Holders: If you used the Non-Filers tool to add your spouse or qualifying children, you cannot receive your payment on your Direct Express card. You must select a bank account for direct deposit or leave bank information blank and receive the Payment by mail.

If you did not file a return, did not use the Non-Filer Tool or are not a recipient of SSA, SSI, RRB or VA benefits:

• The IRS may not have enough information on file for you to send you an Economic Impact Payment.
• Get My Payment will display a “Payment Status Not Available” message.

Yes, you can use Get My Payment to check the status of your payment after you verify your identity by answering the required security questions.

If you did not file a tax return for 2018 and 2019: You can check your payment status when it’s scheduled for delivery, however you will not be able to use Get My Payment to provide your bank account information. The IRS will use the information from SSA, RRB, SSI or VA to generate your payment. You will receive your payment as a direct deposit or by mail, just as you would normally receive your benefits.

For example, if your benefits are currently deposited to a Direct Express card, your EIP will also be deposited to that card. If your benefits are currently deposited to your bank account, your EIP will also be deposited to that account.

Direct Express Account Holders: If you used the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info tool to add your spouse or qualifying children, you cannot receive your payment on your Direct Express card. You must select a bank account for direct deposit or leave bank information blank and receive the Payment by mail.

You can access Get My Payment using an ITIN, but in most cases, the law does not allow an Economic Impact Payment (EIP) for individuals who file a return using an ITIN. The only exception is when two spouses file a joint tax return and either spouse is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the taxable year, in which case only one spouse needs to have a valid SSN.

If you’re getting “Payment Status Not Available”: Updates to your payment status are made no more than once per day, usually overnight.  For additional information, see Payment Status Not Available below.

If you’re receiving a “Payment Status” message without a payment date:

• If you entered your bank information in Get My Payment any day until noon on Tuesday, your payment date should be available beginning the following Saturday in Get My Payment.
• If you entered your bank information after noon on Tuesday, your payment date should be available beginning the Saturday after next in Get My Payment.

Some people who entered their bank information more than two weeks ago may not have a received a payment date. We are working to resolve these issues. Keep checking Get My Payment for updates.

Most people receive only one payment, but there are some situations where people may receive an additional payment. 

Get My Payment will show the status of your most recent payment with one of the following payment statuses:

1. Payment Status –

• A payment has been processed, a payment date is available, and payment is to be sent either by direct deposit or mail.
  
  OR
   
• You are eligible, but a payment has not been processed and a payment date is not available.

2. Need More Information – You are eligible for a payment, but we do not have your direct deposit information. You will be given the opportunity to provide your bank information once you have properly verified your identity. Direct Deposit is the fastest way to get your EIP.

3. Payment Status Not Available – We cannot determine your eligibility for a payment at this time. For additional information, see Payment Status Not Available below.

Updates to your payment status are made no more than once per day.

There are several reasons why your payment may have been sent by mail, including:

• If the payment was already in process before the bank information was entered, or
• If the bank rejects the deposit because the bank information is invalid or the bank account has been closed

We will mail your payment to the address we have on file for you. Some payments may be sent on a prepaid debit card. Get My Payment will be updated to reflect the date your payment will be mailed. Typically, it will take up to 14 days to receive the payment, standard mailing time.

Note: It is not possible to change your bank information once your payment has been processed. No action is needed to contact the IRS as phone assistors won’t be able to change your bank information either.

If you have not received your payment within 14 days of the payment date, check Get My Payment periodically. If the IRS receives your payment back because the Post Office was unable to deliver it, we will update your payment status to “Need More Information,” at which point you will be able to enter your bank account information.

If you don’t provide your bank account information, the IRS will hold your Economic Impact Payment until we receive your updated address. To update your address please see:  Address changes

Get My Payment will not allow you to change your address. If you need to change your address, see Address changes.

If the IRS receives your payment back because the Post Office was unable to deliver it, we will update your payment status to “Need More Information,” at which point you will be able to enter your bank account information.

If you don’t provide your bank account information, the IRS will hold your Economic Impact Payment until we receive your updated address.

If the Get My Payment application says you’re receiving a check, your Economic Impact Payment (EIP) may come as a pre-paid debit card. Debit card payments come in a plain envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services."

Due to a system error, EIPs scheduled to be mailed as a pre-paid debit card on 05/22/2020 were not all issued.

If you live in one of the states listed below, no action is needed. We are working to issue the payment as a paper check to your address on file for you. Get My Payment will provide a new date once your payment by check has been scheduled.

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia

If Get My Payment says your payment was mailed on 05/22/2020 and you do not live in one of these states , follow the guidance provided in the Payment Issued but Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Not Received section of the EIP FAQs.

If your payment was issued by direct deposit, your first step is to check with your bank to make sure they didn’t receive a deposit.

You should request a trace on your Payment if Get My Payment shows your payment was issued on a specific date, but you have not received it and it has been more than:

• 5 days since the scheduled deposit date 
• 4 weeks since it was mailed by check to a standard address
• 6 weeks since it was mailed, and you have a forwarding address on file with the local post office
•  9 weeks since it was mailed to you at a foreign address

The Get My Payment tool cannot be used to initiate a trace on your payment. See EIP FAQ #51, How do I request a Payment Trace on my Economic Impact Payment?  for more information on a payment trace.

The Get My Payment application will return "Payment Status Not Available" for several reasons, including:

• You are required to file a tax return, but:
  • We haven't finished processing your 2019 return
  • The application doesn't yet have your data; we’re working on adding more data to allow more people to use it.
• You don't usually file a return, and:
  • You used Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here but we haven’t processed your entry yet
• You’re not eligible for a payment (see EIP Eligibility and General Information).

If you receive “Payment Status Not Available”, you will not be able to provide direct deposit information at this time.  We’re working on updates to allow more people to use this feature.

We update Get My Payment data once per day, overnight so there is no need to check more often. If you are eligible for a payment and have provided your information either through a recent tax return or the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here application, please check back for updates.

If Get My Payment indicates your payment is pending or has been processed, you cannot change your bank account information.

Your bank account information for your Economic Impact Payment is usually captured from:

• the most recently filed tax return if you received a refund by direct deposit in 2018 or 2019, or
• the bank information you provided on our Get My Payment application, or
• the bank information you provided on the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool.
• If you elected to split your refund between several accounts, you cannot use Get My Payment to indicate which account to use for your Payment. We will deposit the Payment to the first bank account that you listed on Form 8888, Allocation of Refund. If your direct deposit is rejected, your payment will be mailed to the address we have on file for you. 

No. To help protect against potential fraud, the tool does not allow people to change direct deposit information already on file with the IRS.

If we issue a direct deposit and the bank information is invalid or the bank account has been closed, the bank will reject the deposit. We will then mail your Payment as soon as possible to the address we have on file for you, and we will update Get My Payment to reflect the date your payment will be mailed. Typically, once the payment is mailed, it will take up to 14 days to receive the payment, standard mailing time.

There are several reasons why the bank account information shown may be a number you don’t recognize.

If your tax refund was sent via your tax preparer:

When you filed your tax return, you may have chosen an option to select a tax time refund product to get your refund more quickly.  This is sometimes referred to as a Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) or a Refund Anticipation Check (RAC). In these cases, the Economic Impact Payment may have been sent to the prepaid debit card or sent to you as a check, and the bank information shown in Get My Payment will be associated with that card or with the bank account of the tax time refund product, which may include part of your Social Security Number. 

If we issue a direct deposit and the bank information is invalid or the bank account has been closed, the bank will reject the deposit. We will then mail your payment as soon as possible to the address we have on file for you. Get My Payment will be updated to reflect the date your payment will be mailed. Typically, it will take up to 14 days to receive the payment, standard mailing time. No action is needed on your part to ensure the payment will be re-issued.

If you receive SSA, RRB, SSI or VA benefits via Direct Express:

If your benefits are currently deposited to a Direct Express card, your EIP will also be deposited to that card. The bank information shown in Get My Payment will be a number associated with your Direct Express card and may be a number you don’t recognize.

You are eligible for an Economic Impact Payment (EIP), but we do not have your direct deposit information to send your payment electronically. Direct deposit is the fastest way to get your EIP.

• If you would like to receive your Payment to a bank account Make sure the routing number, account number, and account type are correct. You can find this information on one of your checks, through your online banking applications or by contacting your financial institution directly. Do not use the number shown on the front of your bank debit card as this is not the same as your bank account number.

For information about receiving your Payment on a debit card, see Can I have my economic impact payment sent to my prepaid debit card?

If Get My Payment previously provided you with a payment date and you are now receiving "Need More Information", your payment may have been returned to the IRS. Provide your bank account information to receive your payment. For more information, see My payment was mailed weeks ago but the Post Office was unable to deliver it. What should I do?

You can select either “I received a refund” or “I owed money” and enter 0 for the “Refund Amount or Amount You Owed.”

If you requested that all or part of your refund be applied toward your estimated tax, you should enter the total amount of your refund from line 21a of your 2019 tax return (or line 20a of your 2018 tax return if your 2019 return has not been filed or processed).  For example, if your overpayment was $1,200 and you applied $500 to estimated taxes, you would enter 700 for the refund amount.  If you applied all of your refund to your estimated taxes, you should enter 0.

Your Adjusted Gross Income can be found on Line 8b of your 2019 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, or Line 7 of your 2018 Form 1040.

If you had a negative AGI:

• Enter your AGI with a minus sign. For example, enter -2492. Do not use a dollar sign or other characters.

If you entered your 2019 AGI and received an error:

• Your 2019 return may not have completed processing, try entering your 2018 AGI instead.

If you did not file your 2019 return:

• Enter the AGI from your 2018 tax return.

Your account has been locked for 24 hours. This occurred because:

• Information you entered does not match our records – for security reasons we limit each user to three failed attempts per 24-hour period; or
• You have already accessed the system the maximum number of times within 24 hours – we limit each user to five logins per day to manage system capacity.

You will able to access the application after 24 hours have passed. Do not contact the IRS for assistance with a lockout. The lockout will only release when the 24 hours has passed.

To use Get My Payment, you must first verify your identity by answering security questions. If the information you enter does not match our records multiple times, you will be locked out of Get My Payment for 24 hours for security reasons. If you are unable to verify your identity, you will not be able to use Get My Payment. No action is needed to contact the IRS.

If you verified your identity and received “Payment Status Not Available,” this means we cannot determine your eligibility for a payment at this time. This may occur for a variety of reasons, for example, if you didn’t file either a 2018 or 2019 tax return or you recently filed and the return has not been fully processed.

No. Where’s My Refund and View Your Account will not provide the status of your payment. Get My Payment is the only option available to get your payment status. If it is not available at the time you access it, you will need to try again later.

There are two places where you might get an error when entering your information.

Verifying Your Identity

If the information you enter does not match our records, you will receive an error message. To avoid this:

• Double-check what the application requested.
• Make sure what you enter is accurate.
• Try entering your street address in a different way (for example: 123 N Main St instead of 123 North Main St.). 
• Use the US Postal Service’s ZIP Lookup tool to look up the standard version of your address, and enter it into Get My Payment exactly as it appears on file with the Postal Service.

Entering Your Bank Information

If you receive an error when entering your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), refund amount, or amount you owed:

• Double-check that you are entering the numbers exactly as they appear on your Form 1040 as originally filed.
• If the numbers from your 2019 tax return are not accepted, try the numbers from your 2018 tax return.

Note: If you enter information that does not match our records 3 times within 24 hours, you will be locked out of Get My Payment for security reasons. You will be able to access the application again after 24 hours. Do not contact the IRS for assistance for a lockout. The lock out will only release when the 24 hours has passed.