@76665
1) you received $765 the first time (I suspect your income was around $193,000 in 2019)
2) you received $783 the 2nd time
3) you have a child who is 17 as of Dec 31, 2020.
4) you are married.
what was your adjusted gross on Line 11 of your tax return?
please read this slowly and carefully:
Congress and the IRS didn't really fully explain how all this worked, but this is why I suspect you are frustrated.
1) When the stimulus were passed, they were what is called an 'advance of 2020' tax payments. Obviously, at the time the stimulus payments were issued, the IRS didn't know what your income or dependency situation was for 2020, so they ESTIMATED what you were due based on your 2019 income, marital situation and dependents, They ESTIMATED and send out the stimulus.
2) but everything is ACTUALLY really based on 2020 tax return: your income, your dependents, et .
3) If the ACTUAL is greater than the ESTIMATE, that difference is on Line 30 and is called the "Recovery Credit"
4) if the ESTIMATE is greater than the ACTUAL, then Line 30 is zero and can't be negative, meaning you are not asked to return anything.
Please read steps 1 -4 again calmly and slowly. You have a lot of moving parts as I suspect your income is over $150,000 and you also have a child that is not eligible for the Recovery Credit because he is 17, even though he was 16 when the stimulus was calculated based on your 2019 income.
It's important you understand this because no one is screwing you out of anything; this is how Congress passed the law.
I have taken considerable time to write this all out for you; so please give me the courtesy of posting back your 2020 income on Line 11 of your tax return and I will show you all the math on what is going on.
On the 3rd stimulus, the ACTUAL is based on your 2021 income, and the IRS used 2020 (and 2019 if 2020 was not available) to determine the ESTIMATE. If your income ends up being lower in 2021, you will see that on Line 30 next year. It is not lost; it is just delayed.
