While most Americans have already received COVID-era stimulus checks, some individuals who missed out may still be eligible for up to $1,400 in unpaid benefits, but they must act before the upcoming deadline.
The Recovery Rebate Credit, as explained by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), is available for those who did not receive a stimulus check in 2021. While the IRS has proactively issued payments to many eligible individuals, some may still need to file a 2021 tax return to claim their funds.
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Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible for this final round of stimulus payments, individuals must meet the following criteria:
- They did not receive a stimulus check in 2021.
- They did not file a tax return for 2021.
The IRS emphasizes that taxpayers who missed a stimulus check but did file a 2021 tax return should have automatically received their payments in January 2025. The agency identified approximately 1 million such taxpayers and issued payments via mail or direct deposit, as announced by IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in December.
However, individuals who did not file a 2021 tax return, even if they were not legally required to do so, must now file to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit.
Individuals who were claimed as dependents in 2021, were not U.S. residents, or did not possess a valid Social Security Number are not eligible for this credit.
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The IRS has set a hard three-year deadline, known as the Refund Statute Expiration Date, for filing overdue returns and claiming unpaid credits. Since most taxpayers would have filed their 2021 returns by April 2022, the final opportunity to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit is next week.
The IRS clarifies that individuals who did not receive a stimulus check issued before 2021 are no longer able to claim those payments, as the deadline for filing for 2020 has already passed.
The maximum payment for each eligible taxpayer is $1,400. However, the IRS uses various factors to determine the exact amount each individual receives.
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