Haven’t received your $1,400 stimulus check yet? Discover who is qualified for the IRS payment and learn about the … More
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Who May Be Eligible for the IRS $1,400 Stimulus Check Payment
The opportunity to claim an unreceived $1,400 stimulus check from 2021 is running out. Although millions of Americans received this third round of Economic Impact Payments through the American Rescue Plan, some eligible individuals still did not receive their funds. The IRS estimates that around 1.1 million taxpayers have unclaimed 2021 refunds, which include missed stimulus checks, totaling approximately $1 billion. As mentioned in a prior Forbes article, April 15, 2025 is the last day to file a 2021 tax return to receive any unpaid pandemic aid before it is forfeited to the U.S. Treasury. You might be wondering if you’re eligible for the $1,400 payment.
Here’s a comprehensive overview of who could qualify for the $1,400 rebate. In brief, eligibility hinges on two primary conditions: First, you must have qualified for the $1,400 third stimulus check in 2021. Second, you have not yet received the payment in the form of a stimulus check, an IRS payment, or a tax credit.
Who Was Eligible for the $1,400 Third Stimulus Check?
The third stimulus check, officially referred to as the third Economic Impact Payment, provided up to $1,400 per individual in 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act established eligibility criteria based on income and other factors:
Stimulus Check Income Limits: Individuals filing as single (or married filing separately) qualified for the full $1,400 with an adjusted gross income (AGI) up to $75,000. Married couples filing jointly were eligible with an AGI up to $150,000, while heads of household could qualify with up to $112,500. Payments phased out swiftly above these thresholds: singles ceased receiving any stimulus at $80,000, heads of household at $120,000, and joint filers at $160,000. For instance, a single filer with an AGI of $77,000 would receive a partial payment, whereas one with $85,000 would receive nothing.
Citizenship/Residency: To be eligible, you must have been a U.S. citizen or resident alien in 2021. Nonresident aliens were not eligible.
Social Security Number: Generally, you (and your spouse, if filing jointly) needed a valid Social Security Number. Dependents claimed for the stimulus also required a valid SSN or an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN). Notably, if one spouse lacked an SSN, the other could still receive their $1,400 if they had one. Additionally, any qualifying children with SSNs or ATINs would also be entitled to $1,400 each.
Not a Dependent: You must not have been claimed as a dependent on someone else’s 2021 tax return. This meant that college students or adult dependents wouldn’t receive their $1,400 check if a parent or someone else claimed them. Instead, the taxpayer claiming them would receive the $1,400 for that dependent.
Eligible Dependents: All qualifying dependents were included. Each dependent of an eligible taxpayer was valued at another $1,400 in the third stimulus, regardless of age. For instance, a family of four (two parents and two children) could receive a total of $5,600 as long as they fell within the income limits. Newborns or new dependents added in 2021 also qualified for $1,400, but only if claimed on a 2021 tax return.
In summary, most Americans under the income caps with an SSN who were not claimed as dependents were eligible for the $1,400 stimulus. This included retirees, veterans, unemployed individuals, and others; even those with minimal or no income qualified as long as they met these criteria (this differs from potential DOGE dividend checks that have been discussed recently, where income and tax return filing were possible eligibility factors).
However, there is a distinction between being ineligible and simply not receiving a payment despite qualifying. Many Americans did qualify but did not receive their funds, often due to failure to file tax returns or other oversight issues.
Eligibility for the $1,400 Stimulus Check Is Also Based on Whether You Received Payment
Even if you met eligibility criteria, you could have missed the automatic payment in 2021. What caused this? Here are some common factors:
You Never Filed a 2020 or 2021 Tax Return: The IRS primarily depended on tax returns (2019 or 2020 filings) to distribute third-round checks. If you didn’t file a 2020 or 2021 tax return and weren’t receiving federal benefits (like Social Security) that the IRS could reference, it’s possible the IRS did not have your details on file. Many low-income individuals or veterans who were not required to file taxes may have been overlooked. These individuals were eligible but lacked an address or bank information for the IRS to send funds. They could still claim the money later through a tax return (as a credit), but not everyone was aware of this. Individuals in this group are likely to be the most eligible for the $1,400 stimulus check payment.
Income or Family Changes in 2021: The third stimulus payment was initially calculated using previous data. If your income in 2021 dropped below the eligibility threshold while your 2020 income was too high, you would not have received the payment automatically. Additionally, if you had a baby or added a dependent in 2021, the IRS might not have sent the additional $1,400 for the new family member, as it did not know to process that. In these instances, you would become eligible based on your 2021 information, but you’d only receive funds by claiming the credit on a 2021 tax return.
Mistakes or Missed Fields on Tax Return: Approximately 1 million taxpayers who filed 2021 tax returns neglected to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, even though they were eligible. They may have left the credit line blank or mistakenly entered $0. The IRS discovered this error during its reviews. Rather than requiring all eligible individuals to file amended returns, the IRS declared in late 2024 that it would automatically distribute payments (up to $1,400) to those 1 million taxpayers who overlooked the credit. These correction payments, totaling $2.4 billion, were issued by check or direct deposit in December 2024 and January 2025. If you belong to this group, you may have already received your missing funds by early 2025 without needing to take any additional steps. If that’s the case, you are likely not entitled to another payment.
Payment Delivery Issues: Occasionally, the IRS sent a stimulus check that was lost, returned, or left uncashed. For instance, if you changed your address or bank account and the payment didn’t reach you or was misdirected, you might not have received it. However, that money could still be claimed via the tax credit if the IRS indicates that you never cashed the check.
The Bottom Line on IRS $1,400 Stimulus Check Eligibility
If you qualified but did not receive the $1,400 stimulus check in 2021, the government implemented a fallback option in the form of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit. This is effectively a tax credit that equals any stimulus amount you were entitled to but did not receive. Eligible individuals who missed out initially still have the chance to reclaim their funds. To claim the $1,400 now requires filing (or amending) a 2021 tax return to include the Recovery Rebate Credit, so prompt action is necessary as the April 15 deadline is approaching quickly.
