No stimulus payment was issued to SSDI recipients in 2022

There was no federal stimulus check sent to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries in 2022. The last round of Economic Impact Payments—the formal name for stimulus checks—ended in 2021. Three payments totaling up to $3,200 per person were issued between March 2020 and December 2021, but no fourth payment followed in 2022 or after.

If you received a notice in 2022 claiming you were owed a stimulus payment, or if you saw posts online about a "2022 stimulus check for SSDI," those were either scams, misinformation, or references to other programs (like tax refunds or state-level information) that are separate from federal stimulus.

Key Takeaways

  • The three rounds of federal stimulus payments ended in December 2021; no new federal stimulus was issued to SSDI recipients in 2022 or later.
  • SSDI beneficiaries who received the first three payments automatically got them deposited to the same account or mailed to the same address as their regular benefits.
  • If you did not receive a stimulus payment you believed you were owed, the IRS had a tool to check payment status, but that tool is no longer active.
  • Scammers have impersonated the IRS and Social Security to claim unpaid stimulus money exists; never provide personal information or pay money to claim a stimulus check.

The three stimulus payments that were actually issued

Congress authorized three rounds of Economic Impact Payments between 2020 and 2021. SSDI beneficiaries received these automatically—no process was required. The payments were:

  • First payment: $1,200 per person (March to May 2020)
  • Second payment: $600 per person (December 2020 to January 2021)
  • Third payment: $1,400 per person (March to December 2021)

Social Security sent these payments the same way it sends monthly benefits: by direct deposit if you had set that up, or by check or debit card if you received benefits by mail. You did not have to do anything to receive them. If you were receiving SSDI in March 2020, you were included in the first payment. If you became a beneficiary after that, you received only the payments issued after you started receiving benefits.

Dependent children (people claimed as dependents on a tax return) also received payments in the first and second rounds, but not the third. This created confusion for families, because the third payment was smaller for households with children than the first two had been.

Why there was no 2022 stimulus payment

Congress did not pass legislation authorizing a fourth stimulus payment. After the third payment in 2021, political disagreement over whether more stimulus was needed meant no new bill reached the President's desk. Some lawmakers argued the economy had recovered enough; others wanted more relief but could not reach agreement on the amount or who should receive it.

SSDI beneficiaries were not singled out—no stimulus payments of any kind were issued to any group in 2022 or later. This was a policy choice by Congress, not an oversight or a delay.

How to tell if a 2022 stimulus claim is a scam

Scammers have used the idea of "unclaimed stimulus money" to trick people into giving up personal information or sending money. The Social Security Administration and the IRS do not contact people by phone, email, or text to tell them about unclaimed payments. They do not ask for passwords, Social Security numbers, or bank account details over the phone.

If someone contacts you claiming you have an unclaimed 2022 stimulus payment, or any other unclaimed federal payment:

  • Do not give them any personal information.
  • Do not send them money to "unlock" or "claim" the payment.
  • Hang up or delete the message.
  • Report the contact to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Real government payments are never claimed by paying money first. If you are owed money by the federal government, it comes to you—you do not pay to receive it.

What to do if you think you missed a stimulus payment

If you believe you should have received one of the three stimulus payments but did not, the issue is most likely one of these:

  • You were not receiving SSDI when the payment was issued. You had to be on the SSDI rolls on the payment date to receive it automatically. If you started SSDI after a payment was sent, you did not receive that payment.
  • The payment went to an old address or account. If you moved and did not update your address with Social Security, a mailed check may have gone to your old home. If your bank account closed, a direct deposit may have been returned.
  • Your payment was intercepted for a debt. If you owed money to a federal or state agency (such as back taxes or child support), the stimulus payment could have been taken to pay that debt. The agency that took it should have sent you a notice.

The IRS maintained a "Get My Payment" tool to check the status of stimulus payments, but that tool is no longer active. If you need to resolve a missing payment from 2020 or 2021, contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 or visit irs.gov. Have your Social Security number and tax return information ready.

Other 2022 payments that may have been confused with stimulus

In 2022, some people received other federal or state payments that were not stimulus checks but may have been mistaken for them. These included:

  • Tax refunds. If you filed a 2021 tax return and were owed a refund, that arrived in 2022. This is not a stimulus payment.
  • State-level payments. Some states issued their own relief payments in 2022 using state budget surpluses. These were not federal stimulus and varied by state.
  • Back pay from Social Security. If your SSDI claim was approved retroactively, you received a lump sum of back benefits. This is not stimulus.
  • Advance Child Tax Credit payments. Families with children received monthly payments in 2021 as an advance on the expanded Child Tax Credit. These ended in December 2021 and were not stimulus checks.

If you received an unexpected payment in 2022 and are unsure what it was, check your Social Security statement online at ssa.gov or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. They can tell you whether it was a benefit payment, a stimulus payment from an earlier year, or something else.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still claim a 2022 stimulus payment I missed?

No. The three stimulus payments were issued in 2020 and 2021 only. If you did not receive one you were owed, you could have claimed it on your 2021 tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit, but that important date has passed. Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 if you believe you were owed a payment from 2020 or 2021 that you never received.

Will there be another stimulus check in the future?

There is no current plan for another federal stimulus payment. Congress would have to pass new legislation to authorize one. SSDI beneficiaries would be included if a new payment were authorized, but there is no way to predict whether or when that might happen.

What if I got a text or email about claiming a 2022 stimulus payment?

That is a scam. The IRS and Social Security do not contact people by text or email about unclaimed payments. Delete the message and report it to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Do not click any links or provide any information.

Do I have to report a stimulus payment I received as income on my taxes?

No. The three stimulus payments were not taxable income and do not have to be reported on your tax return. They do not count as income for purposes of SSDI, SSI, Medicare, or Medicaid either.