How to check the status of your coronavirus stimulus payment

The US government has begun sending out $1,200 checks to most Americans as part of a $2 trillion economic relief package in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dubbed the CARES Act — Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and
Economic Security Act — the stimulus package means the majority of Americans should receive their money via direct deposit, while others will receive their checks via mail.

The timing of the rollout, however, has been uncertain, with some people receiving their deposits already, and others still waiting. If you need that money sooner rather than later, you might be anxious to find out when the money is being deposited – or if it’s going to the right bank account.

The IRS has set up a hub page for just that. It is accessible at irs.gov/getmypayment. Just tap the button that says ‘Get My Payment’ and enter the relevant personal details when prompted. If you are wondering whether you qualify or are a non-filer, the IRS has a FAQ page here.

Unfortunately, the large influx of visitors means you may experience some delays before getting in. I had to wait a couple of minutes before the page was able to load, for instance.

Furthermore, it seems the site has some kinks to work through at the time of writing. Upon my first few attempts at entering my information, I received a ‘Payment status not available’ error — even though I’d already received my payment.

When polling the team and family members on their results, success was mixed. Some were able to access the correct information, others received errors. A few people were even locked out of the site for 24 hours for supposedly entering incorrect information, even though the information was correct, and even though some of them had already received their payments.

In other words, if you haven’t received your payment yet and receive an error when trying to check your status, you are not alone. The IRS says as of mid-day April 15 ‘more than 6.2 million taxpayers have successfully received their payment status.’