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How to track your coronavirus stimulus check using the IRS web app

The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) coronavirus stimulus check web portal is now live for all taxpayers who want to check on the status of their coronavirus stimulus check.

For those who have filed their 2018 or 2019 taxes, you can use the website to look up the status of your stimulus check, change or update your payment type, or enter your direct deposit information. 

Many lucky people have already received their stimulus check in their bank accounts via direct deposit, but for the others still waiting, you can use the website to track your check’s status.

Man counting cash
Artem Beliaikin/Pexels

How to use the Get My Payment web app

To find out when you can expect your check, click the “Get My Payment” button under the Filers section of the website. You’ll be directed to another “Get My Payment” page, and after clicking the button again, you’ll be able to access the central system.

Since so many people are trying to access the website right now, the online tool make take some time to load. 

You’ll then be asked to enter your personal information such as social security number, date of birth, and street address. Make sure you’re entering the exact information you used in your 2019 or 2018 tax return, or else the system won’t be able to find your information and will locl you out for 24 hours after too many failed tries.

If you didn’t owe any money or receive a refund, you can select either “I received a refund” or “I owed money” and enter 0 for the “Refund Amount or Amount You Owed.”

You can’t change your direct deposit information using the online tool. If the IRS issues a check to an invalid or closed account, the bank will reject the payment. The check will then be mailed to you, and should arrive up to 14 days after being sent.

If Get My Payment indicates your stimulus check is pending or has been processed, you can’t change your bank account information.

Problems with the stimulus check web app

Even if you are entering the right information, many people are reporting that the website is kicking them out of their session or isn’t working altogether. Others are receiving the same error message: Payment Status Not Available, which can happen for a number of reasons. We’ve put together a guide to common errors with the Get My Payment tool that might be stopping you from receiving your stimulus check.

People took to Twitter to voice their complaints about their experiences with the website.

If you haven’t received your stimulus check yet, don’t worry: The IRS says that the payments would be made available to Americans across the rest of 2020 as part of a $2 trillion initiative to counter the economic effects of the coronavirus. 

Those who made up to $75,000 individually or $150,000 together as a married couple, can expect to receive $1,200 or $2,400 in their stimulus check, respectively. If you have children, you can get up to $500 for each child. 

Senior citizens and those who rely on social security also qualify and will automatically receive a check. 

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Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
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