Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
Returning Member
posted Jan 29, 2021 1:01:46 PM

I seemed to have missed TurboTax's initial question regarding the stimulus check. How can I get back to that prompt? So I can provide the stimulus check value I received.

I got only a partial payment, I have explored all the Deductions/Credits and Other Tax Situations. I can't find where the recovery rebate for the COVID Stimulus Checks is.

0 13 1903
13 Replies
Employee Tax Expert
Jan 30, 2021 4:29:28 PM

The recovery rebate form is found under the federal review tab in TurboTax.

 

You can follow these steps in TurboTax to enter information for the recovery rebate form:

  1. With your return open, search for stimulus with the magnifying glass tool on the top of the page.
  2. Select the Jump to Stimulus in the search results to directly go to correct TurboTax page.

Before you complete this section, it is best to have all your income and deductions entered so the correct amount of the tax credit is correct. This will be important if your situation has changed in 2020 since your stimulus was based on the last tax return you filed. Once you enter the amount of your stimulus payment, TurboTax will inform you in this section if you received the correct amount.

Returning Member
Feb 1, 2021 8:35:41 AM

Thank you SO MUCH! I found it!

Level 1
Feb 20, 2021 7:01:45 PM

I also cannot get to the stimulus question. When I follow your instructions, Turbotax just says I will be receiving a W-2c because I deferred Social Security. No social security was deferred and what does that have to do with the stimulus credit? 

Expert Alumni
Feb 21, 2021 5:46:19 AM

The stimulus questions, in TurboTax, can be found by following the steps below..

 

IRS Recovery Rebate Credit

In TurboTax Online once your return is open, select Wages & Income (to enter the tax return).

Select Federal Review at the top of the page > Continue to answer the questions for Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount

TurboTax will then include any stimulus amount due on their 1040 form - either added to their refund or it will reduce the amount due.

 

You did not defer anything.  Your employer was allowed to defer this tax.

Check the amounts in box 3 of your W-2 and the amount in box 4.  Box 4 should be 6.2% of Box 3. 

 

Review the IRS Notice 2020-65 which explains more about this topic.

 

To Employers

If you deferred the employee portion of Social Security tax under Notice 2020-65, when reporting total Social Security wages paid to an employee on Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, include any wages for which you deferred withholding and payment of employee Social Security tax in box 3 (Social security wages) and/or box 7 (Social security tips). However, do not include in box 4 (Social security tax withheld) any amount of deferred employee Social Security tax that has not been withheld.

 

To Employees:

If you had only one employer during 2020 and your Form W-2c, Corrected Wages and Tax Statement, for 2020 (if you get one later), only shows a correction to box 4 (or to box 14 for employees who pay RRTA tax) to account for employee Social Security (or Tier 1 RRTA tax) that was deferred in 2020 and withheld in 2021 pursuant to Notice 2020-65, no further steps are required. 

 

This does not affect your tax return, only your social security account. For most employees no action is required.

Level 1
Feb 21, 2021 12:19:12 PM

The stimulus question does not come up. Clicking Federal Review says, "Heads up! You have a W-2c coming." clicking CONTINUE goes to "We're Ready to Review Your Federal Return." The stimulus question never appears.

Expert Alumni
Feb 21, 2021 12:51:19 PM

Are you using TurboTax Online?  If so, are you able to access the stimulus check choices by following these steps? 

  • Down the left side of the screen, click on Federal.
  • Across the top of the screen, click on Other Tax Situations.
  • At the screen Let’s keep going to wrap up.  Click on Let’s keep going.
  • At the screen Let’s make sure you got the right stimulus amount, click Continue.
  • At the screen Did you get a stimulus payment? you can update your stimulus check entries. 

TurboTax will compare your two payment amounts to the computation within TurboTax.  The computations within TurboTax are based upon the information that has been entered into the tax software.  If you are due an additional amount, it will be issued as a Rebate Recovery Credit (RRC) on line 30 of the 2020 1040 tax return.

 

See also this TurboTax Help.

Level 1
Feb 21, 2021 6:07:31 PM

I am using Turbo Tax Deluxe on the PC. I understand the steps you mentioned even in this product. As I said, however, no stimulus questions come up.  Is it possible this is because our income in 2020 would make us ineligible even though 2018 and 2019 had us eligible? Perhaps it is a bug in TurboTax.

Expert Alumni
Feb 21, 2021 7:42:13 PM

No, you should still receive a stimulus payment regardless. Try these precise steps instead and see if this works because you should have been eligible because of your 2018-2019 income.

  1. Log into turbo tax
  2. Click on Federal Review 
  3. Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount>continue
  4. Next screen asks Did you get a stimulus payment? Yes
  5. Then a drop down will appear and this is where you enter your first and second round stimulus payments.

Level 1
Feb 22, 2021 3:26:18 PM

We have followed those exact steps. No question comes up about the stimulus. We did a screen capture video to demonstrate what we are seeing.

 

https://vimeo.com/[social security number removed]

 

Stupid forum thinks it is a ssn. After vimeo.com, you have to type in the numbers

five one five five one six four zero three

Expert Alumni
Feb 22, 2021 3:51:15 PM

If you qualify for the payments, here is how to access.

  1. Log into turbo tax
  2. Click on Federal Review 
  3. Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount>continue
  4. Next screen asks Did you get a stimulus payment? Yes
  5. Then a drop down will appear and this is where you enter your first and second round stimulus payments.
  6. If the answer is no, then you will receive a Rebate Recovery Credit in the program.

Level 2
Feb 22, 2021 4:47:05 PM

I am using Turbo Tax Home & Business (downloaded on my PC). Having same problem. 

Expert Alumni
Feb 22, 2021 5:26:02 PM

To access the Stimulus section, here are the steps:

 

In both the TurboTax Online and Desktop program,  

  • After sign in to your account, select Pick up where you left off
  • At the right upper corner, under Search, type in "stimulus" and Enter
  • Select Jump to stimulus
  • Follow prompts to answer the questions and enter the amounts.

If you have not received any stimulus payments for yourself and your dependent, you can claim them on your 2020 tax return.  However, if you have received the amounts, enter zeros in the Rebate Recovery Credit section and the program will update your tax refund.  The Recovery Rebate Credit is a credit that was authorized by the CARES Act.  If you were eligible for an Economic Impact payment, commonly referred to as a stimulus payment, but did not receive one or you received less than the full amount as an advanced payment in 2020 then you can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return. To learn more, click here: Recovery Rebate Credit

 

@Webter

 

 

Level 1
Mar 5, 2021 12:50:26 PM

For anyone else who has this issue, the question never comes up even following all the helpful steps offered here. Turns out based on the IRS instructions for the 2020 1040, the IRS uses your 2020 income when determining eligibility for the stimulus credit on your tax form. So even though based on 2018/2019 we were eligible, we are not eligible for the credit because of 2020 income. It would be nice if TurboTax still brought up the section and explained that, but it does not. Thanks for all your help. This is resolved now.