ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Taxes must be filed by May 17, but what if you still haven’t received your third stimulus payment?

A consumer watchdog said there are many reasons you may not have received your $1,400, but unfortunately there’s no way to speed up the process.


What You Need To Know

  • Federal income taxes must be filed by Monday, May 17 this year 

  • If you haven't gotten your third stimulus check, you'll likely get it after filing taxes, officials say

  • IRS.gov

“All people can do right now as far as the third payment is to wait and watch,” said Teresa Murray, the Consumer Watchdog Director at the Public Internet Research Group.

Murray said by now, most people have received the third stimulus payment, which the IRS started sending out back in March. But if you don’t have yours yet, the problem could be that the IRS doesn’t know where to send your money.

In that case, the IRS said once you file your 2020 tax returns, and they have your current address, they’ll get you your money.

Murray also recommends making sure you’re eligible to receive the third stimulus because it was income based. “One thing I would urge is for people to make sure, confirm what their status would be. Are they eligible.  If they thought they were supposed to get a payment and they didn't they need to figure out, were they even eligible for it, and it goes by your adjusted gross income.”

If worse comes to worse, and you don’t receive your third stimulus check at all this year, you can claim a credit on your 2021 taxes.

Murray also warns about IRS scams.

She said there’s no way to give the IRS your bank account information to speed up your stimulus check, and the IRS would never charge you any fees for it.