IRS: If you didn’t get the third stimulus check, here’s what you should do

The last 2021 stimulus payment has been issued, the Internal Revenue Service said Wednesday, but if you did not get yours, you are not out of luck yet.

>> Read more trending news

According to the IRS, if you did not get a stimulus check but are eligible for one, you must use the recovery rebate credit on your 2021 income tax return to claim the $1,400-per-person economic impact payment.

The agency also reminds parents that if you had a child born in 2021 and that child did not receive a payment, you can also claim the payment via the recovery rebate.

If you are unsure about your payments, look for a Letter 6475 from the IRS that shows that you either had a payment sent to you, or that you are entitled to and can claim the recovery rebate credit on your 2021 tax return.

According to the agency, “Families and individuals in the following circumstances, among others, may not have received the full amount of their third-round Economic Impact Payment because their circumstances in 2021 were different than they were in 2020.

“These families and individuals may be eligible to receive more money by claiming the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 income tax return.”

• Parents of a child born in 2021 who claim the child as a dependent on their 2021 income tax return may be eligible to receive a 2021 recovery rebate credit of up to $1,400 for this child.
• All eligible parents of qualifying children born or welcomed through adoption or foster care in 2021 are also encouraged to claim the child tax credit — worth up to $3,600 per child born in 2021 — on their 2021 income tax return.
• Families who added a dependent – such as a parent, a nephew or niece, or a grandchild – on their 2021 income tax return who was not listed as a dependent on their 2020 income tax return may be eligible to receive a 2021 recovery rebate credit of up to $1,400 for this dependent.
• Single filers who had incomes above $80,000 in 2020 but less than this amount in 2021; married couples who filed a joint return and had incomes above $160,000 in 2020 but less than this amount in 2021; and head-of-household filers who had incomes above $120,000 in 2020 but less than this amount in 2021 may be eligible for a 2021 recovery rebate credit of up to $1,400 per person.
• Single filers who had incomes between $75,000 and $80,000 in 2020 but had lower incomes in 2021; married couples who filed a joint return and had incomes between $150,000 and $160,000 in 2020 but had lower incomes in 2021; and head-of-household filers who had incomes between $112,500 and $120,000 in 2020 but had lower incomes in 2021 may be eligible for a 2021 recovery rebate credit.

Individuals must claim the 2021 recovery rebate credit on their 2021 income tax return to get this payment, the IRS pointed out, because the agency will not automatically calculate the 2021 recovery rebate credit.

If you did not get one of the other stimulus payments that went out in 2020, you can use the recovery rebate credit to get your payment. You must either file an amended 2020 tax return or file a new 2020 return if you did not file a tax return for that year.

The IRS began accepting 2021 income tax returns on Jan. 24.

©2022 Cox Media Group