IR 2020-72, 4/15/2020

IRS Statement on Get My Payment Application: Status Not Available

In an Information Release and a statement on its website, the IRS has announced its new “Get My Payment” web-based tool that will:

1. Show taxpayers either their economic impact payment (EIP) amount and the scheduled delivery date of the EIP by direct deposit or paper check, or that a payment hasn’t been scheduled; and
2. Allow taxpayers who did not use direct deposit on their last filed tax return to provide their direct deposit information which will speed their receipt of their EIP.

Background.

In a March 30, 2020 Information Release, the IRS provided details on the distribution of the EIPs that are part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, PL 116-136, 3/27/2020). In this Information Release, the IRS stated that it planned to develop a web-based portal so that individuals who did not use direct deposit on their last tax return could provide their banking information to the IRS, which would allow these individuals to receive their EIP more quickly. (IR 2020-61, 3/30/2020), see IRS releases details on receiving coronavirus economic impact payments (04/01/2020).

“Get My Payment” tool.

According to the new Information Release, the IRS’s “Get My Payment” tool will:

1. Show taxpayers either their economic impact payment (EIP) amount and the scheduled delivery date of the EIP by direct deposit or paper check, or that a payment hasn’t been scheduled; and
2. Allow taxpayers who did not use direct deposit on their last filed tax return to provide their direct deposit information which will speed their receipt of their EIP.

IRS said that the Get My Payment tool is updated once a day (usually overnight) so taxpayers should only check the tool once per day.

How to use the Get My Payment tool.

The IRS’s “Get My Payment” tool is available at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment . To use the tool:

Taxpayers tracking the status of their EIP will need to enter the following information:

• Social Security number;
• Date of birth, and
• The mailing address they used on their 2018 or 2019 return, whichever was filed most recently.

Taxpayers who need to add their direct deposit information to speed receipt of their EIP will need to enter the following additional information:

• The adjusted gross income from their 2018 or 2019 return, whichever was filed most recently;
• The refund or amount due reported on that return; and
• The account type (i.e. checking, savings, etc.) and account and routing numbers of the account where the EIP should be direct deposited.

The Information Release notes that Get My Payment cannot update bank account information after an EIP has been scheduled for delivery. Also, the Get My Payment tool does not allow people to change bank account information already on file with the IRS.

Separate statement.

In a separate statement released on April 15, 2020, the IRS responded to users receiving “Status Not Available” messages.

In the statement, the IRS notes that in situations where payment status is not available, “Get My Payment” will respond with “Status Not Available.”

The IRS statement also notes that users may receive this message for one of the following reasons:

• The user is not eligible for a payment,
• The user was required to file a tax return and has not filed for tax year 2018 or 2019,
• The user recently filed a tax return for tax year 2018 or 2019 or provided information through “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here” or
• The user is a Social Security or Railroad Retirement Form 1099 recipient, Supplemental Security Income or Veterans Administration benefit recipient. “Get My Payment” does not yet have this information.

For users who have

1. Recently filed a tax return for 2018 or 2019 or
2. Provided information through “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here”, the statement says that the IRS will update the user’s payment status in “Get My Payment” when the recently filed return or the information provided through “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here” has been processed.

Users that have received a “Status Not Available” response should check “Get My Payment” again on another day. The IRS reminds users that “Get My Payment” is only updated once per day so there is no need to check it more frequently.

The statement also notes that if site volume gets too high, users are sent to an online “waiting room” for a brief wait until space becomes available,