April 15 is deadline for some to claim $1,400 IRS stimulus check. Here's who's eligible.
The window for certain Americans to claim a bonus check from the IRS will close by end of day on April 15.
The Internal Revenue Service announced in December that about $2.4 billion in stimulus checks − worth up to $1,400 per individual − would be distributed to eligible U.S. taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns.
Payments were automatically sent out earlier this year to qualifying individuals who filed their 2021 tax returns, but over $1 billion in refunds were still unclaimed due to individuals who had not filed their 2021 tax returns yet, the agency said April 11.
The IRS previously found more than 1 million eligible taxpayers failed to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, a refundable credit for individuals who did not receive one or more Economic Impact Payments also known as stimulus checks, when filing their returns in 2022.
Here's what to know about the $1,400 payment, including details on whether or not you may be eligible to claim it.
Who does the April 15 deadline pertain to?
Individuals who are eligible for the Recovery Rebate Credit but have not yet filed a 2021 tax return have until April 15, 2025, to file and receive the payment. (April 15, 2025, is also the deadline to file your 2024 tax returns.)
The IRS said 1.1 million people had not filed their 2021 tax returns and could be eligible for the payment of up to $1,400.
Eligible individuals must file a tax return to claim a Recovery Rebate Credit, even if their income from a job, business or other source was minimal or non-existent.
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Who can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit?
The Recovery Rebate Credit was created to compensate individuals who did not receive one or more stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IRS previously issued three rounds of stimulus payments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which means most eligible individuals have already received stimulus payments and won't be eligible to claim the RRC.
Those who did not receive the full amount of the third stimulus check, sent in March 2021, may be eligible for the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax return. The agency has previously urged taxpayers not to include information about the first two checks sent in 2020, nor the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, on their 2021 tax returns.
The IRS has been issuing the special batch of payments to those who were eligible for Recovery Rebate Credit but did not claim it on their 2021 tax return or failed to file taxes for 2021. The deadline to file the 2021 return in hopes of receiving the payment is April 15, 2025.
Those who did not claim the credit but did file their 2021 tax returns should have automatically received their payments in December 2024 or January 2025 without taking any action.
Taxpayers can check if they claimed this credit by looking at their 2021 tax return and checking if they left the Recovery Rebate Credit field blank or filled it out as $0. To see which stimulus checks, or Economic Impact Payments (EIP), you may have received, the IRS encourages you to sign in to your online account and check the “Economic Impact Payment Information” section on the "Tax Records" page.
How can taxpayers claim $1,400 IRS payment?
Payments were sent to eligible taxpayers automatically starting in December 2024 and continued through late January 2025. Eligible taxpayers would have also received a letter notifying them of the payment, and the payments were either automatically direct deposited or sent by paper check.
Taxpayers who did not file a 2021 tax return may still be eligible for the check if they file their return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit by April 15, 2025.
How much money will taxpayers receive?
An eligible taxpayer may receive up to $1,400, according to the IRS.
The stimulus amount is dependent on your adjusted gross income. In order to qualify for the full $1,400, the taxpayers' annual income must not have been more than $75,000 for single filers or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.
For additional information or questions about how the payment was calculated or how payment eligibility was determined, visit the IRS website. The payment will be sent to the bank account listed on the taxpayer’s 2023 tax return or to the address of record.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY; Maria Francis, Paste BN Network