Second Stimulus Check Updates: Tracking When And How You Get Money

The United States government sent checks to citizens in early 2020, and a 2nd stimulus check is likely coming soon. At the moment at which this article is set to go live, the exact timing and amount of each stimulus check has not yet been finalized. Until we get there, we're readying all the ways in which we can track our check and get payment as soon as possible.

You cannot get a relief payment (a stimulus check) if you have not filed your taxes for 2018 or 2019. The original tax return deadline for filing 2019 taxes here in 2020 was April 15. The date was extended to July 15, 2020 – and if you've still not filed your taxes for 2019 by now, you're effectively late, and it'll only get worse from here with respect to late fees.

There's an app called IRS Get My Payment that you can download to track your dealings with the IRS right this minute. The so-called "app" is more like a webpage, but the IRS calls it their "Get My Payment application" anyway. To access this "app", head over to the IRS Get My Payment webpage and click or tap the "Get My Payment" button.

From there, there'll be a warning page about the system's uses, for government use only, etcetera. Press OK, and you'll get to a "Get My Payment" page with several blanks. You'll need your Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax ID Number (ITIN), date of birth, street address, and ZIP or Postal Code.

If you're trying this system before the 2nd Stimulus Check is released, you'll likely find that you get a message about how your payment has already been sent, likely back in April.

Your next stimulus / relief payment from the government will almost certainly arrive by mail. You'll see said mail delivered by the United States Postal Office (USPS). As such, you could potentially sign up for the Informed Delivery system with the USPS. With this system, you'll see digital previews of mail headed toward you (letter-sizd mailpieces, like your check), before they arrive.

It should be your last option, after you've exhausted all other means of checking, that you call the IRS. Back in May of 2020, the IRS started to add 3,500 telephone representatives in order to handle the barrage of calls made in the first half of the year due to Economic Impact Payments. This should be your option AFTER you visit the Economic Impact Payment Information Center (FAQ) and drop down the list.

Though the IRS made this expansion public, they still made certain to recommend users head to IRS.gov to get their general questions answered on this relief check and related questions.