As our country still reckons with the aftermath of the shocking events that unfolded at the Capitol yesterday, we momentarily turn our attention to the second round of stimulus money that was promised to Americans a few weeks back.
Although, according to the Washington Post, the U.S. Treasury has already sent out about 68% of the scheduled payments, it turns out that a whole lot of folks will actually have to file their 2020 tax return to get the $600 deposited in their bank accounts.
The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) process is not entirely clear but it seems like the bill's timing was unfortunate. "The problem is this bill pass passed right at the start of the 2020 tax season" former IRS commissioner John Koskinen said to the Washington Post. "This has all hit when critical testing of the operations of the tax filing system are going on, and without delaying some checks, they can't get it all done. But it's not helpful to people waiting for money."
The good news is that there is a way for you to check the status of your payment. Head to the IRS' website and click on the "Get My Payment Tool." You'll be prompted to enter your social security number, date of birth and address. If your payment was already scheduled, the site will note both the date you should expect to see the money in your account and the bank account number the agency has on file.
According to an official statement by the IRS, if the tool returns a "Payment Status #2 - Not Available" message, you will actually not be receiving the stimulus money via direct deposit or mail. You'll have to instead claim the credit on your 2020 tax return, which you can start filling out in the upcoming weeks (you've got until April 15 to submit it).
Needless to say, the chaotic nature of the entire process has enraged many Americans who took to social media to proclaim their disappointment—a sorrow that seems to permeate just about every aspect of our government's functionalities at the moment.
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