By Christine Tran, 2020 Get It Back Campaign Intern

Last updated July 15, 2025

NOTE: Information on this page is historical content.

The stimulus check was a federal tax credit, known as the Recovery Rebate Credit. The credit is no longer available.

Click on any of the following links to jump to a section:

• How do I claim the Recovery Rebate Credit?
• Do I need to claim the third stimulus check?
• Finding the amounts of your stimulus checks
• When will I get the Recovery Rebate Credit?
• Need help with claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit?
• Historical content – the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit

How do I claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on my tax return?

To claim the third stimulus check, you must file a tax return for Tax Year 2021 by April 15, 2025.

If you don’t owe taxes, there is no penalty for filing late. If you owe taxes, you may be subject to penalties and fines for not filing or not paying taxes by the original due date. The government may reduce your tax refund to pay for any taxes you owe and other federal and state debts.

To learn more about your options if you think you owe taxes, read “Is it too late to get tax credits from previous years?” and “What to Do if I Owe Taxes but Can’t Pay Them.”

Visit GetYourRefund.org, to file a 2021 tax return to get your third stimulus check.

Filing Your Taxes

Tax software, such as MyFreeTaxes, H&R Block, or TurboTax, will automatically help determine if you qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit.

You can also use Code for America’s GetYourRefund.org.

If you earn less than about $67,000, you can also use the IRS VITA Locator tool or visit AARP Foundation Tax-Aide to locate a free tax site. Contact the site before going to make sure they file prior year tax returns.

However you prepare your 2021 tax return, keep in mind that since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail your return to the IRS. You cannot file your 2021 tax return electronically.   

If you received part of your third stimulus check, you’ll need to know the amount you got. If you need help finding the amount of your checks, click here. If you didn’t receive your third stimulus check, you will be asked questions to help confirm your eligibility and the amount you are owed.

Do I need to claim the third stimulus check?

If you did not qualify for the third stimulus check based on your 2019 or 2020 taxes, you can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if you are eligible based on your 2021 tax return.

Here are some situations where you may need to take action to get the third stimulus check:

• If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2020 tax return, you were not eligible for a stimulus check. However, if that changed in 2021 and you met the other eligibility requirements, you can claim the credit on your 2021 federal tax return (which you file in 2022).
• If your third stimulus check was based on your 2019 return or information received from Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, or Veteran Affairs and you did not get the correct amount.
• If your third stimulus check didn’t reflect all your qualifying dependents or if your income decreased in 2021 and you only received a partial stimulus check because of your 2019 or 2020 income, you could claim the additional money when you file your 2021 federal tax return (which you file in 2022).

Finding the amount of your third stimulus check

To find the amount of the stimulus payment you’ve received, you can:

• Refer to the IRS notices that were mailed to you. IRS Notice 1444-C shows how much you received from the third stimulus check.
• Check your bank statements. If you had your payment direct deposited, you can find the amount of your third stimulus check using your bank statements. It should be labeled as “IRS TREAS 310” and have the code “TAXEIP3” for the third stimulus check.
• Request an account transcript. You can request an account transcript sent electronically or by mail using Get Transcript. You can also call the IRS’ automated phone transcript service at 800-908-9946 or mail in Form 4506-T to have your transcript be sent by mail.
• Create an account on IRS.gov/account. You can view your stimulus check amount under the Tax Records tab. If you filed jointly with your spouse, you will only see your half of the stimulus check amounts. Your spouse will need to sign into their own account to see the other half of the stimulus check amounts.
• To create a new IRS.gov account, you need to register with ID.me. Check out this guide to create an IRS ID.me account.

If the above options don’t work for you, you can provide the amount of your stimulus check based on memory. The IRS will correct the amount for you if you make a mistake, which may delay the processing of your tax return. The IRS will notify you of any changes made to your tax return. If you are doing your taxes without the help of software, here’s how you can calculate the amount of the Recovery Rebate Credit you are owed:

1. First, look up how much you received with your third stimulus check.

2. Next, figure out how much you qualify for.

Third stimulus check: $1,400 (single) OR $2,800 (married) + $1,400 per dependent

3. Finally, subtract the amount you received from the amount you are owed.

When will I get the Recovery Rebate Credit?

You will most likely get the Recovery Rebate Credit as part of your tax refund. Since this is the last year you can claim this credit, you must file a paper return, even if you prepare it electronically. If you mail your tax return, it can take at least 8 weeks to receive your refund.

Claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit will not delay your tax refund. However, if you don’t claim the correct amount of the Recovery Rebate Credit, your refund may be delayed while the IRS corrects the error on your return. The IRS will send you a notice of any changes made to your return.

You can check on the status of your refund using the IRS Check My Refund Status tool.

Need help with claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit?

This Free Tax Filing page can help you find the best resource to file your taxes for free.

Historical content – the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit

The deadline to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for the first and second stimulus checks was May 17, 2024. While you can no longer claim these payments, below describes who may have needed to file to get these stimulus checks.

First Stimulus Check

If you did not qualify for the first stimulus check based on your 2018 or 2019 taxes, you could claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if you are eligible based on your 2020 tax return (which you file in 2021).

Here are some situations where you may have needed to take action to get the first stimulus check:

• If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2019 tax return (see Q C6), you were not eligible for a stimulus check. However, if that changed in 2020 and you met the other eligibility requirements, you could claim the credit on your 2020 federal tax return (which you file in 2021).
• If you are incarcerated and did not receive your first stimulus check, you could claim the tax credit on your tax return.
• If your family was denied a stimulus check because only one spouse has a Social Security Number (SSN), that rule has now changed. The spouse with the SSN and qualifying children with SSNs could claim the first stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit. If you’re a military family, only one spouse needed to have an SSN for both spouses to claim the first stimulus check.
• If your first stimulus check didn’t reflect all or your qualifying dependents (see Q C5) or if your income decreased in 2020 and you only received a partial stimulus check because of your 2018 or 2019 income (see Q B11), you could claim the additional money by filing a 2020 tax return (which you file in 2021).

Second Stimulus Check

If you did not qualify for the second stimulus check based on your 2019 taxes, you could claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if you were eligible based on your 2020 tax return. Please note that some of the second stimulus check eligibility rules differ from the first stimulus check.

Here are some situations where you may have needed to take action to get the second stimulus check:

• If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2019 tax return, you were not eligible for a stimulus check. However, if that changed in 2020 and you met the other eligibility requirements, you could claim the credit on your 2020 federal tax return (which you file in 2021).
• If your second stimulus check was sent to a bank account that closed or was no longer active, the IRS did not reissue the payment by mail. Instead, you needed to file a 2020 tax return to the claim the payment as the Recovery Rebate Credit.
• If your second stimulus check didn’t reflect all your qualifying dependents or if your income decreased in 2020 and you only received a partial stimulus check based on your 2019 income, you could claim the additional money when you filed a 2020 federal tax return.