I never received my second and third stimulus payments. Is there anything I can do to redeem these payments as of 5/5/2026? Thank's for any help you may be able to provide. Cheers.

[Bjwtaylor27]

I received the very first stimulus benefit payment, but something happened with the second and third payments. I've been in foster care for the majority of my young life from 9-17 almost 18. Is there someone sort of r government assistance program that may be able to help me with this issue. or is there any other program that may be able to help me retrieve these funds that weren't given to me when they were rightfully mine?

Please if anyone has any information on this I would be very eager to hear back from you as I am in dire need of this money as I have trying to take care of my two friends and their child as well as a child of my own.

Thank you for taking the time to read this I very much appreicate any help or information you can provide.

-Cheers

[PII Removed]

[email address removed]

[RachelW33]

No, unfortunately the deadlines to claim the stimulus payments have passed.  Unfortunately there is not a government program or any way around the deadlines.

• 2020 Stimulus (1st & 2nd): Deadline was 5/17/24
• 2021 Stimulus (3rd): Deadline was 4/15/25

If you actually did file returns to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit (Stimulus) but never received the check because it was lost, stolen, or misplaced, you can still initiate a payment trace by calling the IRS at 800-919-9835 or by mailing IRS Form 3911.

[rjs]

If you were a dependent in 2020 and 2021 you were not eligible for any stimulus payment. You could have been a dependent of a foster parent or anyone else.

When the first stimulus payments were sent out in 2020 some payments were sent to dependents by mistake. If you were a dependent in 2020 the payment that you received was a mistake. You don't have to pay it back, but you were not eligible for the first or second stimulus payments. If you were a dependent in 2021 you were not eligible for the third stimulus payment.

[Chaosdragon915]

My fiancee never received the original stimulus payment the irs claim they sent it. I filled the IRS form 3911 March 6th of 2024 as it never was showing the payment on her IRS portal. They have sent a letter saying how they need 60 more days every 60 days since the documents were submitted that they requested as they were going to trace the payment and nothing has been said since besides the letter every 60 days. Yet the 2nd and 3rd came straight to her bank account with no trouble at all. Any thought on how to proceed as she isn’t likely going to want to make any calls herself and I’m not sure if it’s possible to do it for her somehow. So there are some who are still having issues with the stimulus checks. 

[RachelW33]

To act on your fiancée's behalf, she must provide the IRS with oral consent during a phone call by verifying her identity and authorizing them to speak with you for the duration of that conversation. If she prefers not to be on the call at all, she can sign and mail Form 8821, to authorize you to receive her confidential tax information and discuss the status of her trace with the IRS. 

Given the repeated 60-day delays since March 2024, I would recommend escalating the case to the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) at 1-877-777-4778. The TAS is an independent organization within the IRS specifically designed to help taxpayers when normal IRS processes have stalled or exceeded standard processing times. 

@Chaosdragon915