The stimulus will not come separately. If the IRS did not include it with your refund, they have determined that they already sent you the correct amount of stimulus money based on your household income and family size. If they adjusted your refund, they will send you a letter explaining why. The IRS should have reported any stimulus money they sent you on Letter 6475. The amount would also be available in your IRS.gov online account:
- Log in on the IRS website
- Click on View Tax Records.
- Scroll down to Economic Impact Payment Information and click the + sign next to 2021 to view the amount of stimulus you received for Economic Impact Payment 3
If you are married, the amount in your account is half the total stimulus you received. The other half would be reported in your spouse's account.
The amount of stimulus may not have been based on your 2020 income. The law that allowed for the release of the third stimulus was passed March 11, 2021. If you had not filed your 2020 return by that date, the amount of stimulus you received would have been based on your 2019 tax return.
If the IRS records show that you received a third stimulus payment for your family, check your records. Most people received this money between March and May of 2021. The IRS should have deposited it into the same bank account that they used for the most recent tax refund on record.
If you still have not found the stimulus payment in your records that the IRS records show was disbursed to you, it could be because:
- You were issued an EIP Card and inadvertently discarded it not realizing it was your Economic Impact Payment. You may request a free replacement through MetaBank® Customer Service by calling 800-240-8100 and following the prompts for a lost or discarded card. Please see the Economic Impact Payment Information Center — Topic E: EIP Cards for more information.
- Your payment was made to a bank account or address you shared with a spouse.
If neither of those is the reason, you can request a payment trace from the IRS. See How do I request a Payment Trace to track my third Economic Impact Payments?
- If your payment was returned by the post office or financial institution and hasn’t been credited back to your account yet.
- If none of the scenarios above apply and you never received your payment even though your online account or letter show it was issued to you.
