After weeks or more of delay, another round of stimulus cash is set to go out soon and finally reach some lower income families who desperately want to know the whereabouts of their Economic Impact Payments.
If things go as expected, most eligible Supplemental Security Income recipients and veterans will spot Economic Impact Payments via their Direct Express card no later than mid-May, according to a fact sheet dated May 5 from Direct Express.
The Internal Revenue Service plans to put those stimulus payments automatically on existing Direct Express cards.
The original plans called for delivery of some of that money by early May, but somehow that did not work out as advertised.
The Direct Express program provides 4.5 million Americans — the majority of whom do not have a bank account —with a prepaid debit card to receive their monthly Social Security or veterans benefit payments.
To be sure, not everyone is facing the delay.
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Direct Express noted that most eligible Direct Express cardholders who receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits received their Economic Impact Payment deposit on their Direct Express card the week of April 27.
Over the past few weeks, I've received several emails from anxious seniors and others.
"I am on SSI and haven't received stimulus payment. Why?" one wrote.
"It is May 5th, still no payment on my Direct Express card," wrote another reader who receives SSI.
"As of May 5th, I have not received my stimulus check. I am 73 years old and have SSI as my only income. And each month it is put into my direct deposit," wrote another reader from Massachusetts.
The confusion and distress popped up after the money didn't arrive as soon as had been projected in earlier forecasts. For whatever reason, the rollout of these payments has been dragged out by another week or two.
An April 16 report issued by the House Committee on Ways & Means indicated that many recipients would receive money by early May. The report said, "Treasury has announced that adult SSI recipients will receive their rebate by early May at the latest, in the same way as they receive their normal benefits."
An April 24 fact sheet from Direct Express confirmed what Ways & Means indicated and stated, "We anticipate that most eligible Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), veterans, and Railroad Retirement Board recipients will receive their Economic Impact Payments to their Direct Express card by early May."
But no money showed up in early May, according to many people who sent me emails.
A week or so of a delay might not mean much to some, but it's clearly hurting a group of people who have difficulty making ends meet when times are good, let alone when the economy is as unsettling as it is right now.
More: Still no stimulus? Here's a look why some money hasn't arrived yet
More: Here's why you're not able to track your stimulus money
More: Stimulus cash payouts will go to some seniors and others this week
Some people with younger family members were asked to take more action to receive more money in one payment upfront.
On April 24 and again on May 1, the IRS alerted Supplemental Security Income and Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who had dependents to act by May 5 if they didn't file a tax return in 2018 or 2019. By supplying information via a "Non-filers" tool at IRS.gov, those who qualified would be able to get an additional $500 per child in their stimulus checks.
But that group now needs to realize that their money could come via check, not via a Direct Express card.
Here's what Direct Express listed in its latest fact sheet: "Note that Direct Express cardholders who use the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov will not receive their Economic Impact Payment on their Direct Express card account. Cardholders who use the tool may only select a bank account for direct deposit or leave bank information blank to receive their Economic Impact Payment by mail."
Unfortunately, this information is not spelled out in the IRS release on the "Non-filers" alerts. As a result, some people could be further confused about how they're going to get their money.
Dallas-based Comerica Bank acts as the financial agent for the Direct Express prepaid card program through an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service. A new five-year agreement was reached in January.
"For most cardholders, this payment is their sole source of income and is essential for basic living needs such as housing, food and medicine," according to the Bureau of Fiscal Service.
So it's logical that many would need that extra stimulus payout as soon as possible, perhaps even earlier than those who had steady jobs in 2019, filed tax returns for 2019 and have already received their tax refunds and stimulus cash.
Direct Express cardholders can sign up for text or email alerts by logging into their account at the Direct Express website. Cardholders can call the toll-free phone number on the back of their card.
Direct Express said that cardholders will receive one free ATM withdrawal for their Economic Impact Payment deposit, which is in addition to the free withdrawal for each benefit payment deposit the cardholder now receives.
The massive coronavirus relief package signed by President Donald Trump on March 27 included more than 150 million stimulus payments. And the IRS and Department of Treasury said 130 million in payments were issued through late April. But plenty of questions remain as millions of others wait for their cash in the coming weeks and possibly months.
Some other stimulus questions:
How do I know if money was sent to me?
If you're worried about a problem, remember you will receive a letter about 15 days after an Economic Impact Payment is issued. And the letter will spell out how much money you're receiving now and tell you if this payment was made via direct deposit to your bank account or via check.
The white envelope has the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service listed as the sender. The letter itself is stamped "The White House" and is signed by President Donald J. Trump.
"For more information on your Economic Impact Payment," the one letter stated, "please visit IRS.gov/coronavirus or call 800-919-9835."
Is anyone able to use the 'Get My Payment' tool?
Yes, according to many who have emailed me, they eventually had success. But plenty of others continued to say they've had trouble in the last week or so. The IRS did update the site.
One metro Detroit couple received their stimulus money via direct deposit in their bank account May 6 after inputting their bank account information at "Get My Payment" at IRS.gov about 12 days earlier.
Remember, you cannot solve every issue via Get My Payment.
Here's an important tip issued by the IRS on April 26: "To help protect against potential fraud, the tool also does not allow people to change direct deposit bank account information already on file with the IRS.
"If we issue a direct deposit and the bank information is invalid or the bank account has been closed, the bank will reject the deposit.
"We will then mail your payment as soon as possible to the address we have on file for you. 'Get My Payment' will be updated to reflect the date your payment will be mailed. Typically, once the payment is mailed, it will take up to 14 days to receive the payment, standard mailing time."
Do you have to fill out direct deposit information via 'Get My Payment?'
No. You don't need to give direct deposit information via the IRS tool.
If you opt to receive tax refunds via a check in the mail, you should expect to receive a paper check for your stimulus payment. But that could take longer.
Going forward, stimulus checks are being issued in a reverse order based on the "adjusted gross income," with the lower income households receiving money first.
Are there any hacks to getting the system to work?
Oddly enough, I have received some emails from readers who insist that the "Get My Payment" program worked for them only after they used all capital letters when entering a street address on the IRS "Get My Payment" site.
Some readers had expressed frustration at getting bad information or being locked out of the system. But then said they had more success when they waited a day or so and used the "All CAPs" system for their address.
The IRS doesn't mention this trick but did say in an update that you should go back and check your most recent tax return or consider whether there is a different way to enter your street address (for example, 123 N Main St vs 123 North Main St).
"You may also verify how your address is formatted with the U.S. Postal Service by entering your address in the USPS ZIP Lookup tool, and then enter your address into 'Get My Payment' exactly as it appears on file with USPS," the IRS said.
Contact Susan Tompor at 313-222-8876 or stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.
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