Economic Impact Payment Information Center — Topic F: Payment Issued but Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Not Received

A1. If you received your Payment by check and it was either lost, stolen or destroyed, you should request a payment trace. See the FAQ later in this section for more information on payment tracing

A2. If you received Notice 1444 in the mail and have not received your Payment as mentioned in the notice, see the FAQ later in this section for more information on payment tracing.

Note: Do not request a payment trace if you are trying to determine eligibility for the payment or the amount of Payment you should have received.  You must have been issued Notice 1444 or received a payment date from Get My Payment to perform a trace.

A3. If your payment was issued by direct deposit, your first step is to check with your bank and make sure they didn’t receive a deposit.

You should only request a payment trace to track your Payment if you received Notice 1444 or if Get My Payment shows your payment was issued and you have not received it and within the timeframes below:

• 5 days since the  deposit date in Get my Payment and the bank says they haven’t received it
• 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, and you have a foreign address

Note: If you have foreign address, there may be international service disruptions at the United States Postal Service (USPS) or the foreign country you are in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. See the USPS Service Alerts page and check with your local consulate for more information.

Do not request a Payment trace to determine if you were eligible for a payment or to confirm the amount of payment you should have received.

How we process your claim

We will process your claim for a missing payment in one of two ways:

• If the check was not cashed, we will issue a replacement. If you find the original check, you must return it as soon as possible.
• If the refund check was cashed, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) will send you a claim package that includes a copy of the cashed check. Follow the instructions. BFS will review your claim and the signature on the canceled check before determining whether they can issue you a replacement check.

To start a Payment trace:

• Call us at 800-919-9835
• Mail or fax a completed Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund PDF. 

To complete the Form 3911:

• Write “EIP” on the top of the form
• Complete the form answering all refund questions as they relate to your EIP
• When completing item 7 under Section 1:
  • Check the box for “Individual” as the Type of return
  • Enter “2020” as the Tax Period
  • Do not write anything for the Date Filed
• Sign the form. If you file married filing joint, both spouses must sign the form.

 You will generally receive a response 6 weeks after we receive your request for a Payment trace, but there may be delays due to limited staffing. Get up-to-date status on affected IRS operations and services. Do not mail Form 3911 if you have already requested a trace by phone.

Mail or fax the form to:

Note: Do not send anything other than a Form 3911 to the fax numbers below.