SSDI recipients received $1,200 in the third stimulus payment in 2021, not in 2022

There was no federal stimulus payment in 2022. The third and final round of pandemic relief payments went out in March 2021, and SSDI recipients who met the income limits received $1,200 each. If you are looking for a 2022 payment you did not receive, the issue is almost always that the Social Security Administration did not have your current banking information on file, or your income exceeded the limit.

The $1,200 payment in 2021 was part of the American Rescue Plan Act. It was not automatic for all SSDI recipients—you had to have earned less than $75,000 in 2020 (or $150,000 if married filing jointly) to receive the full amount. If you earned more, the payment reduced by $5 for every $100 over the limit.

If you did not receive the 2021 payment and believe you should have, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a tool called the Economic Impact Payment tracker that shows the status of all three stimulus payments. You can access it on IRS.gov by logging in with your Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number.

Key Takeaways

  • The third stimulus payment of $1,200 was issued in March 2021, and there was no stimulus payment in 2022.
  • SSDI recipients with 2020 income under $75,000 (or $150,000 if married) received the full $1,200.
  • If you did not receive the payment, check the IRS Economic Impact Payment tracker to see what happened to your payment.
  • If the tracker shows your payment was sent but you never received it, you may need to file a tax return or contact the IRS directly.

Who received the 2021 stimulus payment

SSDI recipients were treated the same as other workers for the 2021 stimulus. You received $1,200 if your 2020 income was below $75,000 (or $150,000 if you filed taxes jointly with a spouse). The Social Security Administration did not distribute the payment—the IRS did, using tax records from 2020 or 2019 if you did not file in 2020.

The payment was reduced if your income was between $75,000 and $99,999 (or between $150,000 and $198,000 if married). For every $100 you earned over the threshold, the payment went down by $5. If your income was $99,999 or higher as a single filer, you received nothing.

If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return, you did not receive a payment. This affected some SSDI recipients whose adult children claimed them on their taxes.

How the IRS sent the payment

The IRS sent the $1,200 by direct deposit to the bank account on file with your most recent tax return. If you had not filed a tax return in 2019 or 2020, the IRS used the bank account information Social Security had on file for your benefits payments.

If the IRS could not find a bank account, it sent a check by mail. Checks took four to six weeks to arrive, and some were lost or delayed. If you received a check, it was mailed to the address on your most recent tax return or Social Security record.

Some SSDI recipients never received the payment because the IRS had outdated banking information. If your bank account changed after you filed your last tax return, the payment may have gone to a closed account or been returned to the IRS.

What to do if you did not receive the payment

Start by checking the IRS Economic Impact Payment tracker at IRS.gov. You will need your Social Security number, date of birth, and street address. The tracker shows whether the IRS sent your payment, when it was sent, and how it was sent (direct deposit or check).

If the tracker shows the payment was sent by direct deposit but you never saw it, contact your bank to ask if the deposit was rejected or returned. Banks sometimes reject deposits to closed accounts or accounts that have been inactive for a long time. If your bank confirms the deposit was rejected, you will need to file a 2020 tax return (if you have not already) or contact the IRS to request a payment trace.

If the tracker shows a check was sent but you never received it, you can request a replacement check from the IRS. This process takes several weeks. You will need to file Form 3911 (Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund) with the IRS, or call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to request a payment trace.

If the tracker shows no payment was sent at all, the IRS likely did not have your information on file. This happens most often to people who did not file a 2019 or 2020 tax return and did not register with the IRS Non-Filer tool in 2021. If this is your situation, you can still claim the payment on your 2021 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.

Claiming the payment on your tax return

If you did not receive the $1,200 in 2021 but you were may have access to to it, you can claim it on your 2021 tax return. The payment is called the Recovery Rebate Credit, and you report it on Schedule 3 of Form 1040.

To claim the credit, you will need to know your 2020 income and whether you filed a 2020 tax return. If you did not file in 2020, you may need to file a 2020 return first, then file your 2021 return. This is especially important if your 2020 income was below the filing threshold—you may not have been required to file, but filing allows you to claim the stimulus payment.

Many SSDI recipients have income low enough that they are not required to file a tax return. If that is your situation, you can still file a return just to claim the stimulus payment. The IRS has a free filing program for people with low income, and many nonprofits offer free tax preparation help.

Why some SSDI recipients did not receive the payment

The most common reason SSDI recipients did not receive the 2021 stimulus was that the IRS had no record of them. This happened to people who had not filed a tax return in 2019 or 2020 and had not used the IRS Non-Filer tool. The IRS relied on tax records to find people, so if you were not in the tax system, the IRS did not know to send you a payment.

A second common reason was outdated banking information. If you changed banks after your last tax return, the payment may have been sent to a closed account. The IRS does not update bank account information based on Social Security records—it uses only tax returns.

A third reason was income over the limit. If your 2020 income was $99,999 or higher (or $198,000 or higher if married), you did not receive a payment. SSDI income counts toward this limit, so if you earned other income in 2020, it may have pushed you over the threshold.

Some SSDI recipients were claimed as dependents by adult children or other family members. If someone else claimed you on their 2020 tax return, you did not receive a payment, even if you lived independently and paid your own bills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a 2022 stimulus payment I can still claim?

No. There was no federal stimulus payment in 2022. The three payments were issued in 2020 (two payments) and 2021 (one payment). If you are looking for a payment from 2022, it may be a state-level payment or a different program. Check your state's revenue or treasury website.

Can I claim the 2021 stimulus on my 2022 tax return if I missed it?

No. You must claim the stimulus payment on the tax return for the year it was issued. The 2021 stimulus must be claimed on your 2021 tax return. If you have not filed your 2021 return yet, you can still file it now and claim the payment as a Recovery Rebate Credit. The important date to claim it on your 2021 return has passed, but the IRS may still process a late return.

What if my income was too high in 2020 but is lower now?

The stimulus payment was based on your 2020 income, not your current income. If you earned too much in 2020 to receive the payment, you cannot claim it now even if your income has dropped. The payment was a one-time 2021 distribution based on 2020 tax records.

Do I have to report the stimulus payment as income on my SSDI benefits?

No. The stimulus payment does not count as income for SSDI purposes. It does not affect your benefit amount or your ability to work. Social Security treats stimulus payments as non-taxable federal payments that do not reduce benefits.

What if I received the payment twice by mistake?

Contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to report the duplicate payment. The IRS will tell you whether you need to return the extra money. In most cases, the IRS will not ask for repayment if the error was the government's mistake, but you should report it to be certain.