2020 Taxes - Claim First and Second Stimulus Check based on 2020 income not 2019 return

[BlabberMouth]

My wife and my income was higher in 2019 due to a severance package we received. In 2020, we made well under the $150k threshold and never received the first or second stimulus check. I purchased turbo tax 2020 and don't see a way to claim/recover the stimulus payments. Any advice/experience on how we can get it?

[MaryM428]

There is not an option to use your 2019 income to claim stimulus payments.  The option that you are referring to is for people who did not have enough earned income in 2020 to qualify for the Earned Income Credit.

That happened to many people who were collecting unemployment instead of wages in 2020.  Unemployment is not earned income, so they did not qualify for the earned income limit with their 2020 income.  The government gives them an opportunity to file using their 2019 earned income if that gives them a better result on their 2020 taxes.

[BlabberMouth]

Hi Mary,

Thank you for you post. Our 2019 income did not qualify us for the stimulus payment as that is what the fed govt used to calculate our income. However, our earned income for 2020 would qualify us (we did not collect unemployment).  Would this qualify us for the stimulus payment?

[Critter-3 · Accepted solution]

If you did not receive your first and/or second stimulus payment or if the amount received is not correct, you can claim it on your 2020 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit. You can e-file your return even if you have no taxable income.

In TurboTax Online, to claim the Recovery Rebate credit please do the following:

1. Sign into your account and continue from where you left off
2. Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Federal Review on the top of the screen
3. On the next page titled Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount, click on Continue
4. Follow the interview
5. TurboTax will determine whether you are entitled to any additional stimulus
6. Any stimulus amount remaining due to you will show as a credit on line 30 of your form 1040.

[BlabberMouth]

Thank you!  I bought turbo tax deluxe and found the ability to claim it on the federal review portion.  Odd place but makes my day!!

[shan13]

Where did you find in the TurboTax Delux as I'm not finding anything to walk me through the stimulus information?  I'm owed money from the 1st stimulus as it was based off of 2018 taxes instead of 2019.  I received the 2nd check. 

[JamesG1]

If you have not received one or both of your stimulus checks, you will receive your payment in the form of a Recovery Rebate Credit on line 30 of your 2020 Federal tax return when you file.

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

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. 

See also this TurboTax Help.

[sr3333]

i had thought the stimulus payment is based on AGI of 2019 instead of 2020.  My 2019 AGI is below $150K and my 2020 AGI is above 160K.  Turbo tax uses the 2020 AGI thus my stimulus is lower. 

Which is the correct AGI the IRS uses 2019 or 2020

If using 2019, how do i correct it in TT. ?

[LenaH]

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 of 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. 

@sr3333

[Robin1126]

How to claim first and second stimulus payment and did turbo tax claim it on 2020 tax return

[Critter-3]

If you did not get the first 2 stimulus payments and you have already filed a 2020 return with nothing on line 30 of the form 1040  then once the original return has fully processed and you have the original refund in hand you can amend the return to add the missing credit. 

[highpreist]

In 2020 I never received $600 or my $1200 dollar stimulus checks, they should've of went my social security account. the third stimulus went to my account.

[VolvoGirl]

Then you need to amend your 2020 return to claim it or file a 2020 return.   The $1,800 (1200+600) goes on 1040 line 30.  See if it's already there.

[jackiegirl99]

I did not receive the first two stimulus payments of $1200 and $600 for my wife and I.  So the recovery rebate amount should be $3,600 on the 2020 income tax return.  The IRS is saying that is wrong.  Does anybody have any documentation that the credit should be $3,600?

Thanks.

[DoninGA]

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@jackiegirl99 wrote:

I did not receive the first two stimulus payments of $1200 and $600 for my wife and I.  So the recovery rebate amount should be $3,600 on the 2020 income tax return.  The IRS is saying that is wrong.  Does anybody have any documentation that the credit should be $3,600?

Thanks.

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An amended 2020 tax return for the Recovery Rebate Credit had to be filed on or before May 17, 2024.  Any 2020 tax return or 2020 amended tax return filed after that date will not receive any type of refund.