Stimulus direct deposit, checks and EIP cards.

[donheff]

Early this week Mnuchin told the whole country to expect direct deposits by yesterday. If we didn't see it there would be a handy tool to enter our info. I tested the get my payment link for myself and my daughter this morning. In both cases it returned status unavailable. We will be fine without a stimulus check but it will not be good if lots of heavily impacted people don't see a payment.

 

[frank]

tried the get my payment site again and used both 2018 and 2019 info. I am one of the ones that credited my refund to 2020 and keep getting the " the information you have provided does not match our records" people. guess I'll just have to wait and see how it plays out.

 

[eytonxav]

DS/DDIL had to pay for 2019 return and nothing showed up in their account on Wednesday morning, although they had a refund for 2018. DS went into the portal and was able to enter their direct deposit info yesterday.

 

[bizlady]

If they have the social security direct depoit info. will they use that or send a check?

If you filed a tax return, then no. DM gets ss and files a return but applied her refund. They needed her deposit info.

My understanding is that IF you get SS and DID NOT file tax returns for 2018 or 2019, then they will use the direct dep info, and those start around April 17

 

[Rex]

Passing along the family experience.....

DD & DS got their $1200 in their bank accounts yesterday. Timing was great...esp for DD. She was furloughed and has been waiting on unemployment.

MIL gets it but since she pays 0 in taxes and is refunded 0 in taxes, she can't answer the ID questions on the payment page to change her check to direct deposit (first world problem, no worries).

DM gets it. Easy to fill out the form to convert her from check to direct deposit.

DB got it yesterday. He was surprised he got the full $1200.

DW & I get the response "payment status not available" on the Get My Payment site...we do not qualify based on 2018...we do qualify based on 2019....My thought/guess is that they have not dealt with the yes/no folks in the first round. Again, first world problem.

I have to say, I am impressed. This is the fastest and most efficient I have ever experienced anything government like. This mess is 30 days old and look at everything that has happened to help out the folks. And they are working FAST which is never in government speak. Thank you USA!

 

[target2019]

The IRS site has an FAQ page for the stimulus questions. You can get to this from the data entry page and others. The link appears as a question mark symbol. How clever!

This is the page link:
https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center

Some questions may be answered there, but not all.

 

[bizlady]

If you cannot get your info the reasons and error messages for the link are here:

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center#error

 

[Cobra9777]

I'm still getting the "Payment Status Not Available" error message. Very frustrating. The IRS added this to their site:

In situations where payment status is not available, the app will respond with “Status Not Available”. The IRS reminds users you may receive this message for one of the following reasons:

If you are not eligible for a payment (see IRS.gov on who is eligible and who is not eligible)
If you are required to file a tax return and have not filed in tax year 2018 or 2019.
If you recently filed your return or provided information through Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info on IRS.gov. Your payment status will be updated when processing is completed.
If you are a SSA or RRB Form 1099 recipient, SSI or VA benefit recipient – the IRS is working with your agency to issue your payment; your information is not available in this app yet.

However, none of those reasons apply to me. We ARE clearly eligible for the payment. We have filed all required tax returns (2018). We have not recently filed a return and have not provided info for non-filers. And we do not collect SSA or RRB.

So it's clear to me that this is some sort of "catch-all" error message and there is still something fundamentally wrong with the system. There are tons of media reports on this error message including lots of people like me for whom the reasons cited by the IRS are not applicable. It would be nice if they would ackowledge the problem.

 

[Rex]

"If you recently filed your return"

That's probably our reason for getting the "payment status not available". We filed 3/24 and the 2019 return would qualify us.....The 2018 would not.

 

[target2019]

Cobra, my first guess is that your non-file for 2019 could be a tripwire. My apologies if wrong.

They're building error messages as they discover more. Maybe it is COBOL and they need to find old programmers or kids.

 

[gailwinters]

If you filed a tax return, then no. DM gets ss and files a return but applied her refund. They needed her deposit info.

My understanding is that IF you get SS and DID NOT file tax returns for 2018 or 2019, then they will use the direct dep info, and those start around April 17

Was she able to enter her deposit info? We also applied our refund to next year’s taxes, and we can’t figure out how to enter our direct deposit info.

 

[Cobra9777]

Cobra, my first guess is that your non-file for 2019 could be a tripwire. My apologies if wrong...

That's what I was thinking too. But clearly I am not "required" to file a 2019 return until July 15, 2020. So their system should automatically default to our 2018 return if it doesn't find one for 2019. So even if this theory is correct, it's still a system flaw and not a valid reason to receive an error message.

 

[fh2000]

DW & I get the response "payment status not available" on the Get My Payment site...we do not qualify based on 2018...we do qualify based on 2019....My thought/guess is that they have not dealt with the yes/no folks in the first round. Again, first world problem.

We are in the same situation. Not qualified on 2018 tax, but do qualify on 2019 tax. We filed 2019 on paper and I read somewhere since their center is closed, they will only process paper when they re-open. Not sure when.

So, I may need to reconcile in my 2020 tax return, and get it by 2021!

 

[Cobra9777]

So here's my conspiracy theory on the "Payment Status Not Available" thing...

We qualify based on 2018. We do NOT qualify based on 2019 due to a giant Roth conversion. I have not filed 2019 yet, mainly because we still owe all the conversion tax, not because it would disqualify us for the stimulus payment. That's just an added "benefit" of waiting.

Yet I'm quite sure the IRS already has our 2019 1099-R showing that we would not qualify. So if they can delay our payment until after we are required to file in July, then we would be disqualified at that point and no paper check would be cut. If they allow us to enter direct deposit info on the Get My Payment tool, then it's too late. Thus, the mysterious error message.

So if July 15 rolls around and we still don't have a paper check, I guess we'll file for an extension.

BTW, DW recently bought me a t-shirt that says, "Hang on, let me overthink this." She knows me well.

 

[Rex]

Floating a theory.....

Has anyone gotten a stimulus check in a situation where they did not qualify in 2018 but did in 2019?

 

[NateW]

We got ours direct deposited yesterday ($2400).

 

[bizlady]

Was she able to enter her deposit info? We also applied our refund to next year’s taxes, and we can’t figure out how to enter our direct deposit info.

Yes, you will have to enter the "Get my refund link"
Then SS, birth date and address EXACTLY as on your 1040
It will then take you to the page to enter the info after you confirm AGI

 

[Rianne]

If we didn't see it there would be a handy tool to enter our info.

Not touching that "handy tool" with a 10 foot pole. $2400 is not worth the risk.

 

[bizlady]

FYI, for those living in an apt, for my DM we entered the address and then #(apt number)

i.e. 123 Main St #45

 

[gailwinters]

Yes, you will have to enter the "Get my refund link"
Then SS, birth date and address EXACTLY as on your 1040
It will then take you to the page to enter the info after you confirm AGI

It says I need to select that I owed or got a refund and give the amount. Entering zero or the amount that I had credited toward this year’s taxes doesn’t work. What did she enter there?

 

[bizlady]

We entered the amount of her refund- even though she applied this to her quarterlies, netting zero.

i.e. She got a refund of $500. She applied that to her quarterly.
We entered 500 for the amount when asked on the form

 

[gailwinters]

I tried that and it wouldn’t work. Oh, well.

 

[Gumby]

If I were trying to have some security built into the system, I would have the program check the number in either box 20 or 23 on the IRS Form 1040 against the social security number and address for that taxpayer. It is a good and simple way to help prevent fraud, and only one of those two boxes can have a number in it. I would not care about how they applied any refund, because you can choose any amount between zero and your whole refund to put into line 22.

 

[audreyh1]

It says I need to select that I owed or got a refund and give the amount. Entering zero or the amount that I had credited toward this year’s taxes doesn’t work. What did she enter there?

We entered the amount of her refund- even though she applied this to her quarterlies, netting zero.

i.e. She got a refund of $500. She applied that to her quarterly.
We entered 500 for the amount when asked on the form

Interesting as it spells out that for the 2019 form to use the number on line 21a which for DF is 0.

But once I submitted everything I got a Technical Difficulties try again later error 109, so who knows?

 

[Gumby]

Interesting as it spells out that for the 2019 form to use the number on line 21a which for DF is 0.

But once I submitted everything I got a Technical Difficulties try again later error 109, so who knows?

I'm just going to wait for them to mail me a check; I should get it in September.