IRS Launches Website That Allows Users To Track Coronavirus Relief Payment Status
The Internal Revenue Service started sending out federal coronavirus crisis relief payments this week, but for those who have not yet received the money, the government has launched a tracking tool called “Get My Payment.”
Over 80 million taxpayers have received the money — formally known as an Economic Impact Payment — since the IRS began sending it out over the weekend, but Get My Payment will help answer common questions of those who have not received their payment, according to an IRS media release. (Make sure you have your 2018 filing information available and be prepared to wait. The site was under heavy demand early Wednesday afternoon.)
The new tool will show a projected date for receiving payment and allows users to provide their bank information if they did not use direct deposit on their last tax return.
“Get My Payment will offer people with a quick and easy way to find the status of their payment and, where possible, provide their bank account information if we don’t already have it,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said.
“Our IRS employees have been working non-stop on the Economic Impact Payments to help taxpayers in need. In addition to successfully generating payments to more than 80 million people, IRS teams throughout the country proudly worked long days and weekend to quickly deliver Get My Payment ahead of schedule.”
The online tracking tool is updated once a day, according to the IRS.
The Economic Impact Payments are part of the $2 trillion economic relief package signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.
The Coronavirus Aird, Relief, and Economic Security Act will provide American households with up to $1,200 per adult for individuals with income less than $99,000 and $500 per child under 17 years old, according to the Treasury Department.
The payments will start phasing out for individuals with adjusted gross incomes over $75,000.
CNN released a calculator in March to determine how much a specific household can expect to receive.
Americans who filed 2018 or 2019 federal tax returns were expected to receive their direct deposit by Wednesday. Checks will take longer to reach people in the mail.
The Treasury expects most eligible Americans to receive payments within the next two weeks.
“We are pleased that many Americans are receiving their Economic Impact Payments,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a news release.
“This administration is delivering fast and direct economic assistance to hardworking Americans, and we hope these payments will bring them much-needed relief.”
Labor Department numbers show that over 6.6 million filed for unemployment benefits last week. Over 16 million workers have lost their jobs since mid-February, The New York Times reported.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, as of Wednesday morning, there were over 600,000 cases of coronavirus in the United States.
There have been 24,429 fatalities from the virus, but 43,482 people have recovered.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
