The recovery rebate credit was intended for people who during the pandemic did not receive one or more stimulus payments.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 6:49PM
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You may still be eligible to receive a check from the IRS worth $1,400 or more that was issued to most Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, if you are eligible, you’re on a tight deadline to receive the money, called the Recovery Rebate Credit.
What is the Recovery Rebate Credit?
The recovery rebate credit was intended for people who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, did not receive one or more stimulus payments, which were known as Economic Impact Payments.
Who is eligible?
People who have not yet filed a 2021 tax return could be eligible. The IRS says you can still file a tax return from that year and still get the credit.
However, you must do so by April 15, 2025.
You must file even if your income from a job, business or other source was minimal or non-existent.
Payment amounts could be as high as $1,400 per individual (plus up to $1,400 per qualifying dependent) but will vary depending on the filer’s 2021 income and other factors.
Many taxpayers may have already been paid
Even some people who filed a 2021 tax return didn’t get the money right away.
A million tax filers got letters from the IRS in December indicating they had money coming to them because they were eligible to receive the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit but didn’t claim it on their 2021 federal tax return.
Those checks were sent out by late January, the IRS says. The payments totaled roughly $2.4 billion.
They were made either by direct deposit or by paper check, depending on the filer’s preferred method for getting refunds.
“The payment will be sent to the bank account listed on the taxpayer’s 2023 tax return or to the address of record,” the IRS said.
If you’re eligible to get a payment but have closed your bank account since filing your 2023 tax return, the agency added, “the bank will return the payment to the IRS and the refund will be reissued to the address of record.”
If you are eligible and have not received your payment, don’t miss this deadline!
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