I live in California. I received a federal stimulus check in 2020. I then received two more federal stimulus checks in 2021. When I filed my federal 1040, for 2021, I answered no to the question if I had received a third stimulus check. This is because the first stimulus check was in 2020. I have now received a letter from the IRS stating there was a problem with the stimulus check and I now have to pay additional taxes. It appears they are counting the 2020 check and the 2021 checks to count as three. Why is that? The 2020 was in a different tax year and should not be counted.
