stimulus checks

NBC 5 Responds: 5 Major Questions About Stimulus Payments Answered

NBC 5 Responds has received an overwhelming number of questions from viewers about their stimulus payments

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If you’re sick of checking your bank account and IRS.gov, wondering where your stimulus payment is, you’re not alone. Since Tuesday, NBC 5 Responds has received more than 200 emails on the issue.

“Just like any American that pays their taxes could use the money right now,” said Steve Elixman, who’s waiting for his stimulus payment to come.

NBC 5 Responds has compiled a list of the five top questions people are asking. Most of the answers can be found at IRS.gov.

A lot of people said they were able to log in to the Get My Payment link on the IRS website, but wondered why they kept getting the error message: "Payment Status Not Available."

The IRS said there could be a few reasons for that message. One of the big ones to note, if a person filed their 2019 tax return, the IRS may not have finished processing it, which could cause a delay.

“We just moved and I don’t believe the IRS has my new address of course and the account I had on file has already been closed. Where or when am I going to see my money,” Elixman said.

Elixman's situation is a bit more complicated. His second question is one many viewers asked: “What happens if the IRS tries to send the money to an account that’s been closed?”

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The IRS said if a bank account is closed, the bank will reject the deposit and the person be issued a payment to the address they have on file for them.

Which makes Elixman’s situation complex, since he just moved and changed his address with the post office. It could take some time for that check to find him.

One viewer said the IRS website told her she would get a check, "but the date that it's going to be direct deposited is not there it's been 10 days? Why aren't I getting a date?"

Last week, the IRS said the first wave of stimulus payments were sent through direct deposit to 80 million people. If you included your direct deposit information on either your 2018 or 2019 federal tax return, the IRS already should have paid you through direct deposit.

Starting April 24, the IRS is now sending paper checks. The IRS starting to issue those checks to taxpayers who have the lowest annual adjusted gross income as reported on their 2018 or 2019 tax return, whichever is more recent.

Here is the planned weekly schedule for the IRS to mail stimulus checks based on annual adjusted gross income, as first reported by The Washington Post. All dates represent the “week ending” (for example, the week ending April 24) and the IRS could change this schedule at any time.

  • Less than $10,000: April 24
  • $10,001 - $20,000: May 1
  • $20,001 - $30,000: May 8
  • $30,001 - $40,000: May 15
  • $40,001 - $50,000: May 22
  • $50,001 - $60,000: May 29
  • $60,001 - $70,000: June 5
  • $70,001 - $80,000: June 12
  • $80,001 - $90,000: June 19
  • $90,001 - $100,000: June 26
  • $100,001 - $110,000: July 3
  • $110,001 - $120,000: July 10
  • $120,001 - $130,000: July 17
  • $130,001- $140,000: July 24
  • $140,001 - $150,000: July 31
  • $150,001 - $160,000: August 7
  • $160,001 - $170,000: August 14
  • $170,001 - $180,000: August 21
  • $180,001 - $190,000: August 28
  • $190,001 - $198,000: September 4
  • Remaining checks: September 11

Another question NBC 5 received, but can’t answer: “What happens if the amount they sent you is wrong?"

The IRS is supposed to send a letter within 15 days of the payment explaining a breakdown of the numbers and what to do if the payment is wrong.

“I really hope the letter of instruction that we’re supposedly going to get will have some clear and concise instructions for all of us taxpayers,” Elixman said.

For some, that letter from the IRS arrives within the next few weeks, depending on when they received their payment.

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