More stimulus checks are coming soon, ending a wait for the $1,400 payments for up to 30 million people. By this weekend, veterans, Social Security, SSI and SSDI recipients and more could start seeing payments come in electronically or through paper checks and EIP debit cards in the mail. (Here’s how to track your check with the IRS and follow your payment to your mailbox.)

But for millions of people, getting that check may be just the first part of this third stimulus journey. There are several situations that could result in a partial payment, such as if the IRS uses your 2019 taxes to calculate your payment, but you’re entitled to more. Or maybe there was a change to your AGI or new dependents, like a 2020 baby, were left out.

It could be there’s a holdup in delivering your stimulus check and you’ll need to know how to report or find the rest of your payment. For example, if your check never arrives (but an IRS letter said it did), you may need to request a payment trace. That’s why it’s critical you know how much money you should expect. We’ll explain what to expect below. In the meantime, here’s the lowdown on a fourth stimulus check and the deal with child tax credit payments if you have eligible dependents and qualify for the CTC. This story is updated often.

Stimulus check schedule: The current scorecard and timeline

This week, SSI and SSDI recipients and veterans who are waiting for stimulus money got a long-awaited target pay date (more below). If you receive federal benefits, you’ll see your stimulus money either as an electronic transfer to an existing benefits card like Direct Express, or in the mail. The IRS will not send EIP cards to this group, the Social Security Administration said.

Most people who don’t receive federal benefits and didn’t get a direct deposit by March 24 will receive a stimulus payment in the mail as a paper check or EIP debit card.

Note that it could take days between the date the IRS or Treasury processes your particular payment and when you receive it, especially if your check is delivered through the mail. If your life circumstances changed between your second check and now, any complications could hold up your payment. If you moved recently, you’ll need to tell the IRS and USPS.

Here’s how the checks have been sent so far:

Stimulus check scorecard: Payments so far

	Direct deposit	Paper check	EIP card	Direct Express card
First payment batch (by March 17)	90 million ($242 billion)	150,000 ($442 million)	Not released	Not released
Second payment batch (by March 24)	17 million ($38 billion)	15 million ($34 billion)	5 million ($11 billion)	Not released
Social Security, including SSI, SSDI	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	Not used for payment	Up to 30 million, starting April 3 and 4

You should track your stimulus payment status. Here are two ways to do that

The IRS updates its Get My Payment tracker tool for stimulus checks daily. This online app shows you the status of your payment, including when a check is scheduled for delivery. The IRS portal can also flag if there’s a problem with your payment you may need to address, but it doesn’t tell you the amount you’ll receive. You can use a free tool from the USPS to track your mailed stimulus payment.

Social Security, SSI, SSDI, veterans and other federal beneficiaries: Here’s what to know

After a weeks-long holdup, the IRS said it is ready to start making payments for SSDI and SSI recipients, retired railroad workers and veterans, many of whom automatically qualify for the third check. The first payments are set to arrive the weekend of April 3, with most going out electronically through a Direct Express card (PDF) on April 7, according to the IRS.

Note that you’ll only get the electronic payment transfer if this is how you normally receive benefits, and if you didn’t file taxes in 2019 or 2020. However, some in this subset of nonfilers could receive an automatic payment sooner if they got a previous check by using the IRS’ Non-Filers tool, which is now closed. The SSA says this group will not receive an EIP debit card. Here’s our complete guide to stimulus checks for people receiving Social Security benefits.

Stimulus check delivery start and end dates

Stimulus bill passed Congress	March 10
Stimulus bill signed into law	March 11
First direct deposits made	March 12 (provisional), March 17 (official)
First paper checks sent	Week of March 15
First EIP cards sent	Week of March 22
Last day to get direct deposit	March 24
First Social Security, SSI, SSDI payment sent	Weekend of April 3, most arriving April 7
IRS deadline to finish sending checks	Dec. 31, 2021 (mandated by the bill)
Last date to receive a check	January 2022 (if mailed checks sent late December)
Final claims for missing stimulus money	2021 tax season likely (in 2022)

Your stimulus check delivery could be delayed or divided up because…

• You receive SSDI or SSI benefits or other federal benefits, and are waiting for your check.
• Your stimulus check was deposited into a closed or temporary bank account.
• You moved and the IRS doesn’t have your correct mailing address to send a check.
• Your check is delayed in the mail (Track it.)
• Your payment may be garnished by private debt collectors.
• You may not receive money for all of your dependents, including a new baby or older adult.
• You may be a nonfiler who needs to file a 2020 tax return to claim dependents.
• The IRS based your third stimulus check on your 2019 taxes and you’re owed money for your 2020 AGI or dependents.
• There was a calculation error and you need to claim an adjustment.
• The IRS sent a letter confirming it sent your stimulus payment, but the money never arrives.

Here’s more information on problems you might encounter with your stimulus check.

Yes, your tax return could cause a delivery snag

Taxes are now due May 17. So how will the IRS figure out how much it owes you? It will calculate your total (you can also do that here) based on the most recent tax filing it’s processed at the time it’s ready to tabulate your check.

If you filed your 2020 taxes early and you know your tax return was already processed, your total will likely be based on your 2020 adjusted gross income, not on your 2019 AGI. That presents complications if the difference between the two years disqualifies you from getting a third stimulus check.

On the flip side, if the IRS uses your 2019 taxes and you’re owed more money based on your 2020 AGI and dependents, you’ll need to claim the difference at a later date. (Learn more about some of the stimulus check exceptions and catches here.)

How to report a problem with your payment

Sorry, but the IRS really doesn’t want you to call if you have any issue with the delivery or amount of your stimulus check. So what to do instead? See our guide that walks you through how to report stimulus check problems, including checks that never arrive (try filing a payment trace), direct deposit payments that go to the wrong account and other issues.

How you might have to claim missing stimulus money

There are several reasons the IRS may owe you stimulus money after it sends out the third round of checks. Maybe the agency processed your 2019 tax return instead of 2020 and there was a discrepancy? Or maybe you had a baby in 2020 that you still need to claim as a dependent? Maybe a clerical error accidentally left out a new dependent? Perhaps your payment never arrived or was accidentally garnished?

Whatever the reason, the IRS may provide a way to file for missing stimulus money before the Dec. 31 deadline. If not, you might have to wait a year to claim it, when you file your 2021 taxes in 2022 (even if you’re a nonfiler who isn’t typically required to file taxes.)

Stimulus payments aren’t actually ‘due’ until December

Although the IRS and Treasury are sending stimulus checks now, the agencies have until Dec. 31 to complete distributing the third payments. That’s good news in the sense they aren’t facing a compressed deadline to send out all the checks, as they did with the second stimulus check in December, which only gave them a 17-day window to get the payments out.

On the other hand, the nearly nine-month delivery window also means some people may find themselves waiting for their payment, for a variety of reasons. We’ll have to wait and see how the IRS deals with any fringe issues that arise, such as the need to claim missing money.

More stimulus check details you may need to know

Stimulus checks aren’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all situation. Here are additional guides for:

• Households with dependents, or people trying to understand if they’d receive their own check
• People who receive SSI or SSDI
• Older adults, people who are retired and veterans
• Tax nonfilers, such as veterans
• Families with child support situations
• Families with mixed-status citizenship

And here’s everything you need to know about the third stimulus check, how to calculate your stimulus total and every way the stimulus bill can bring you more money.