By Christine Tran, 2021 Get It Back Campaign Intern

Last updated January 22, 2025

NOTE: Information on this page is historical content.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act, which includes a third round of stimulus checks. The payments are an advance of a temporary credit for 2021 (which you file taxes for in 2022).

The payment is worth up to $1,400 for each eligible adult and each qualifying dependent in a household. For example, a family of four would receive up to $5,600.

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

• Eligibility
• Getting your Third Stimulus Check
• Troubleshooting

Eligibility

1. Who is eligible for the third stimulus check?

While eligibility is similar to the first and second stimulus checks, there are differences. There are four primary requirements:

1. Income: The income requirements to receive the full payment are the same as the first and second stimulus checks. There is no minimum income needed to qualify for the payment. Households with adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $75,000 for individuals (up to $150,000 if married filing jointly and up to $112,500 if head of household) will receive the full payment. The third stimulus payment starts to phaseout for people with higher earnings. The third stimulus check’s maximum income limit is lower than the first and second stimulus check. Single filers who earned more than $80,000 ($160,000 if married filing jointly and $120,000 if head of household) in 2020 are ineligible for the third stimulus check.

View the chart below to compare income requirements for the first, second, and third stimulus checks.

2. Social Security Number: This requirement is different from the first and second stimulus check.

Any family member that has a Social Security number (SSN) or dependent (regardless of age) can qualify for the third stimulus check. For example, in a household where both parents have ITINs, and their children have SSNs, the children qualify for stimulus checks, even though the parents don’t.

For the first and second stimulus check, at least one spouse must have a valid Social Security number (SSN). If you are married filing jointly, and one spouse has an SSN and one has an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the spouse with an SSN and any qualifying dependents with SSNs or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN) can get the payment. If one spouse is an active member of the military, then both spouses are eligible for a stimulus check even if only one spouse has an SSN and the other spouse has an ITIN.

Originally, under the first stimulus check, if you were married filing jointly, both spouses needed valid SSNs. However, expanded SSN rules for the second stimulus check were retroactive to apply to the first stimulus check. If you were denied your first stimulus payment because both you and your spouse did not have SSNs, you could have claimed your first stimulus check as the Recovery Rebate Tax Credit on your 2020 tax return.

See the chart below for further explanation of how this works.

3. Dependency: The dependency requirement is the same as the first and second stimulus check. You cannot be claimed as someone else’s dependent on a tax return to get the third stimulus check for yourself.

If you are claiming dependents for an additional $1,400, they can be any age as long as they have an SSN or ATIN. Unlike the first and second stimulus checks, there is no age requirement.

4. Citizenship or Residence: The citizenship or residency requirements are the same as the first and second stimulus check. You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or qualifying resident alien.

2. Which of my dependents qualify for the third stimulus check?

For the third stimulus check, all your dependents qualify, regardless of age. This means that for each child or adult dependent you have, you can claim an additional $1,400.

This is different from the first and second stimulus checks, which only allowed child dependents (under 17) to get the additional payment.

3. Can I claim a stimulus check for someone who is deceased?

Yes. For the third stimulus check, people who have died on or after January 1, 2021, are eligible to receive the third stimulus check. However, for married military couples, the date of eligibility is expanded. If the person who died was a member of the military and died before January 1, 2021, the surviving spouse can still receive the third stimulus check, even if they don’t have an SSN.

For the first and second stimulus check, the IRS has stated that people who died on or after January 1, 2020, are eligible to receive both payments.

If they didn’t receive the stimulus payments or didn’t receive the full amounts that they are eligible for, spouses or other family members can file a 2020 federal tax return and claim it as part of their tax refund by visiting GetYourRefund.org which opens January 31, 2025.

4. Can I get the third stimulus check if I am incarcerated?

If you are incarcerated, you are eligible to receive the first, second, and third stimulus checks if you meet the other eligibility requirements.

5. What if I owe child support payments, back taxes, money to creditors or debt collectors, or federal or state debt?

None of the three stimulus checks can be reduced to pay any federal or state debts and back taxes. Unlike the first stimulus check, your second and third stimulus check cannot be reduced if you owe past-due child support payments.

If you claimed the payments as part of your 2020 tax refund (known as the Recovery Rebate Credit), the payments were no longer protected from past-due child support payments, creditor and debt collectors, and other federal or state debt that you owe (see IRS FAQs Q E2 and Q E3). In other words, if you received your first or second stimulus checks as part of your tax refund instead of direct checks, it could be reduced.

6. What if I get government benefits? Will the third check count against eligibility? What about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or unemployment benefits?

Just like the first and second stimulus checks, the third stimulus check does not count as income when determining your eligibility for means-tested programs like SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid. Stimulus checks are not counted as income for the EITC or unemployment benefits.

7. Are the third stimulus checks taxable? Will I owe the IRS money next year?

Just like the first and second stimulus checks, the third stimulus check doesn’t count as income, so you don’t have to pay taxes on them. You will not be required to pay anything back.

8. What if both my spouse and I have ITINs, and our children have SSNs? Can our family get the third stimulus check for our children?

Yes. For the third stimulus check, any household member that has an SSN qualifies for a payment.

This is different than the first and second stimulus check, where at least one tax filer must have an SSN for the household to claim the stimulus checks. That adult with the SSN and any qualifying children with SSNs will get the stimulus checks.

Getting your Third Stimulus Check

9. How do I get my third stimulus check?

The IRS automatically sent your payment if:

• You filed a tax return for tax year 2019 or 2020.
• You are a Social Security recipient, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), railroad retiree. Or you are a Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) and Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiary.
• You successfully signed up for the first stimulus check online using the IRS Non-Filers tool or submitted a simplified tax return that has been processed by the IRS.

To find out the amounts of stimulus checks that the IRS has issued to you, visit your IRS Online Account. If you don’t have an account, you will need to create one using ID.me.

If you are missing your third stimulus check, you must file your 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail your return and cannot file it electronically. You can visit a free tax filing site or GetYourRefund.org.

10. When will the third stimulus check be issued?

The government has issued all third stimulus checks. If you are missing your stimulus check or didn’t get the full amount that you are eligible for, you can claim your third stimulus checks as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return. You must file your 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail your return and cannot file it electronically. Visit a free tax filing site or GetYourRefund.org to get help preparing the return so you can print and mail it.

If you don’t fall into any of these categories, you’ll have to wait to receive your third stimulus check. You will need to file a 2021 federal tax return to get the third stimulus check.

11. Where is my third stimulus check?

You can learn the status of your third stimulus check by viewing your IRS Online Account. You can also view the amounts of the first and second stimulus checks issued to you. If you don’t have an account, you will need to create one using ID.me.

12. What if I am eligible for the third stimulus check but I didn’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return and didn’t use the IRS Non-Filers tool?

File your 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025. Visit GetYourRefund.org which opens January 31, 2025 for help. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail your return and cannot file it electronically.

You can file a tax return even if you don’t have a filing requirement to get other tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.

You can no longer claim the first or second stimulus check if you didn’t get the full amount that you are eligible for. The deadline to file a 2020 tax return to claim them was May 17, 2024.

13. Is there a deadline to get my third stimulus check?

You have up to 3 years to file a prior year tax return. You must file a 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail it to the IRS. You cannot file electronically. Visit GetYourRefund.org, which opens January 31, 2025 to get help preparing your return so you can print and mail it to the IRS.

Troubleshooting

14. What if my bank account information changed, how will I get my third stimulus check?

The IRS will mail your check to the address it has on file for you if your third stimulus check was direct deposited into an invalid or closed bank account.

15. What if my mailing address changed since I received my previous stimulus checks? How will I get my third stimulus check?

The IRS is no longer mailing third stimulus checks automatically. If you haven’t received your third stimulus check by mail, you must file a 2021 tax return by April 15, 2025, to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit. Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail it to the IRS. You cannot file electronically.

16. What if I still haven’t received my first and/or second stimulus check?

You can no longer claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for the first and second stimulus checks.

You have up to 3 years to file a prior year tax return. Since the original deadline to file your 2020 taxes was May 17, 2021, you could file a 2020 tax return by May 17, 2024.

Need Additional Help?

If you need help claiming your third payment as the Recovery Rebate tax credit on your 2021 tax return, you can:

• Visit GetYourRefund.org.
• Check out the Free Tax Filing page for free resources to file.
• Contact your local Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide site to get free tax help from an IRS-certified volunteer.

Since this is the last year to file a 2021 tax return, you must mail it to the IRS. You cannot file electronically. If you need it, make sure you can go somewhere that can help you print and mail your return.

All information on this site is provided for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities is not liable for how you use this information. Please seek a tax professional for personal tax advice.