If you did not receive your second stimulus check until January of 2021, do you still mark “yes” as receiving it the year 2020 when filing taxes?

[MinhT1]

Yes, you have to report both stimulus payments on your 2020 tax return, even if your receive the second payment in January 2021.

In fact, both these payments are advanced payments of the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit.

Please read this IRS document on the Recovery Rebate credit.

[kimberly-teve]

I have clearly messed up my return because of this as I thought you “could not claim money you didn’t receive in that year” when filing a return. I filed on Feb 5th, IRS accepted Feb 12th...over 21 days later it’s still being “Processed”. I have not received anything from the IRS by mail for further instructions. I don’t know if this is the definite reason for my refund delay but I do know I made that mistake. Do I need to amend my taxes or will the IRS correct my mistake and direct deposit the corrected amount? I’ve used TurboTax for years and my taxes are fairly simple. I’m upset at myself for making this mistake and now there’s this long delay. Should I expect my refund before the deadline to file? What happens if I don’t receive my refund once deadline is over?

[ThomasM125]

You should wait until you receive your refund before you prepare an amended return to see if it is necessary, as the IRS will likely adjust your return to reflect the correct amount of stimulus payment due you.

I don't know when your refund will be processed. The tax deadline is for filing your return, so since you filed it already, you don't need to worry about that. If you don't receive your refund, the only thing you can do is call the IRS to get a status update on it at 1-800-829-1010.