There was no fourth stimulus check for SSDI recipients

The federal government issued three rounds of stimulus payments during the COVID-19 pandemic: one in spring 2020, one in December 2020, and one in March 2021. There was no fourth round. If you received SSDI and got payments in those three rounds, that was the full amount the government sent.

You may have seen claims online about a fourth check coming, or heard rumors about additional payments. These do not come from official government sources. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have not announced any fourth stimulus payment, and no such payment has been authorized by Congress.

If you are looking for current financial support and receive SSDI, there are other programs that may help—but they are separate from stimulus checks and work differently.

Key Takeaways

  • The three stimulus payments (2020 and 2021) were the only federal rounds issued; no fourth payment was authorized or sent.
  • SSDI recipients who received the first three payments got them automatically, usually deposited to the same account as their monthly benefit.
  • Rumors about a fourth check circulate regularly online but do not reflect actual government policy or announcements.
  • If you did not receive one of the first three payments and believe you should have, you can still file a claim with the IRS.

How the three stimulus payments worked for SSDI recipients

If you were receiving SSDI during 2020 and 2021, you did not have to do anything to get the stimulus payments. The SSA and IRS coordinated automatically: the government identified SSDI recipients in their records and deposited the payment directly to the bank account where your monthly SSDI benefit was already going.

The three payments were: $1,200 in spring 2020, $600 in December 2020, and $1,400 in March 2021. The amount did not depend on your income or how much SSDI you received—everyone who met the basic criteria got the same amount per payment.

Because the payments went to the same account as your regular benefit, many people did not notice them as separate deposits. If you received SSDI during all three periods and are unsure whether you got all three payments, you can check your bank statements from those months or contact the SSA.

Why rumors about a fourth check keep appearing

Several states and some advocacy groups have proposed additional relief payments at various times since 2021, and news coverage of those proposals sometimes gets shared as if they were federal announcements. Additionally, scammers and misleading websites sometimes claim a fourth check is coming in order to collect personal information or money from people.

The safest rule: official stimulus announcements come from the IRS (irs.gov), the Social Security Administration (ssa.gov), or direct statements from Congress. If you see a claim about a fourth stimulus check on social media, in an email, or on a website asking you to pay a fee or enter personal details, it is not real.

What to do if you did not receive one of the three payments

If you were receiving SSDI during one or more of the three payment periods and did not get the money, you have options. The IRS created a process to claim missing stimulus payments through your tax return.

You can file a tax return (even if you normally do not file) and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for any payments you did not receive. You will need to report the payments you did get and claim the ones you missed. The IRS will then send you the difference.

You do not need to act when ready—you can claim this credit on any tax return you file going forward. However, the sooner you file, the sooner you receive the money. If you need help filing a tax return, the IRS offers free tax preparation through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax information) sites in most communities.

Other support programs for SSDI recipients facing hardship

If you are facing financial hardship now and are looking for help beyond SSDI, several programs exist. These are not stimulus checks but ongoing or emergency information:

  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a separate program from SSDI that provides additional monthly payments to people with disabilities who have very low income and few resources. You may be able to receive both SSDI and SSI at the same time.
  • SNAP (food information) helps pay for groceries and is available to people receiving SSDI, regardless of other income.
  • Emergency rental information is available through local housing authorities in many areas if you are behind on rent.
  • LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy information Program) helps pay heating and cooling bills and is run by your state.
  • 211 is a free helpline (dial 211 or visit 211.org) that connects you to local programs in your area based on your specific needs.

These programs have their own rules and do not require you to have received stimulus payments. Your SSDI benefit does not disqualify you from most of them.

How to protect yourself from stimulus payment scams

Scammers have used fake stimulus announcements to steal personal information and money. Here is what to watch for:

  • Legitimate government agencies never ask you to pay money upfront to receive a payment or to verify your information.
  • Official announcements come from irs.gov, ssa.gov, or direct news from Congress—not from emails, texts, or social media posts.
  • If someone claims you need to act when ready or your payment will expire, it is a scam.
  • Do not give your Social Security number, bank account details, or PIN to anyone who contacts you claiming to represent the government, unless you initiated the contact and verified the number independently.

If you receive a suspicious email or call claiming to be from the IRS or SSA, you can report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at tigta.gov or call 1-800-366-4484.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the government sending out a fourth stimulus check in 2024 or 2025?

No. Congress has not authorized a fourth round of federal stimulus payments. If you see claims about this online, they are not from official government sources. The IRS and SSA have made no announcements about additional stimulus payments.

I received SSDI but did not get one of the three stimulus payments. Can I still claim it?

Yes. You can file a tax return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for any of the three payments you missed. You can do this even if you do not normally file taxes. The IRS will send you the amount you did not receive.

Will getting a stimulus payment affect my SSDI benefits?

No. The three stimulus payments were not counted as income for SSDI purposes, so they did not reduce your monthly benefit. This was true whether you received the payment in 2020 or 2021.

What if I was not receiving SSDI during the stimulus periods but I am now?

You would not have received the stimulus payments, because they were only sent to people receiving benefits at the time each payment was issued. Starting SSDI after 2021 does not make you retroactively may be able to access for those payments.

Where can I find my stimulus payment information?

You can check your bank statements from spring 2020, December 2020, and March 2021 to see if the deposits arrived. You can also create an account on irs.gov and use the "Get My Payment" tool, which shows the status and deposit information for all three payments.