You will need to file a tax return for the year 2020 to claim the first and second stimulus payments. The return will need to be mailed in since the e-filing window is closed.
The Recovery Rebate Credit is calculated based on your 2020 income because the stimulus payments were based on 2019 income (or the last return filed). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of taxpayers lost income in the year 2020 and did not qualify based on their 2019 (or earlier) financial situation. Basing the Recovery Rebate Credit on 2020 income ensures that if their financial situation changed and are now eligible, then they would still get assistance.
In TurboTax Online, you are prompted to input stimulus check 1 and stimulus check 2 information under Review down the left-hand side of the screen.
You can also access your 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.
Here is a TurboTax help article with instructions to file a prior year return.
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