7 Reasons You May Not Have Received Your Economic Stimulus Rebate Yet

I guess I was lucky, I received my economic stimulus rebate via direct deposit right on schedule. But many people, thinking they should have received it via direct deposit according to the IRS economic stimulus rebate schedule, did not. All direct deposit rebates for taxpayers who filed before April 15th were due to taxpayers by May 16th, according to the schedule. If you believe you should have gotten your stimulus rebate via direct deposit but did not, here are several reasons you may not have received it (or a paper check) yet or may be getting a paper check in the mail as opposed to direct deposit.

Didn’t get a tax refund- If you didn’t get a tax refund (that is, you owed taxes) you may not be getting your economic stimulus rebate via direct deposit. To have qualified for direct deposit, you would have to have provided the IRS with your banking information (routing number and account number) which many people likely would not have done. Some people who did provide the IRS with that information have still reported not receiving it via direct deposit.

Didn’t file soon enough before deadline- If your tax return was not processed by the April 15th deadline- meaning you mailed it only a few days ahead of time- your refund may be delayed. If you filed after April 15th, it may take up to 6 weeks. If you are getting an income tax refund, the IRS will send you that refund first. Normally, your stimulus payment will follow one to two weeks later. You may still get it via direct deposit.

Split your tax refund between two accounts- If you had your tax refund split between two accounts- that is, a portion deposited into two different bank accounts, the IRS will mail your refund to you by check.

Paid for preparation fees out of refund- If you paid H &R Block, or some other tax preparer your filing or preparation fees out of your refund instead of separately, you will not receive your stimulus rebate via direct deposit, it will be mailed to you.

Received a refund anticipation loan- If you received a refund anticipation loan from your tax preparer, you will receive a paper check.

Closed your bank account- If the IRS tried to send you your refund via direct deposit but your bank account was closed, it would have been rejected. The IRS will then mail you a check to the address on your tax return.

If you moved- You should file a Form 8822 with the IRS and a change of address notice with the U.S. Postal Service. This will ensure your check is sent to your new address. Without your current address, the check could be returned to the IRS as undeliverable.