Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Deadline to Get COVID-19 Stimulus Check by Direct Deposit is Here
Randy-Reed-Image
By Randy Reed, Operations Manager
Published 4 years ago on
May 12, 2020

Share

Anyone still waiting for a federal COVID-19 stimulus payment must act by Wednesday to receive their money by direct deposit, the IRS says.

The government is urging taxpayers to provide their bank account information online by noon if they want to speed up delivery of the money. Otherwise, qualified recipients will receive a paper check through the mail, which could take several more weeks to arrive.

Many in Fresno and Visalia Prefer Paper Checks

Many Valley residents are likely to be among those who will be waiting by the mailbox to receive their stimulus payments, according to research from the personal finance website MagnifyMoney. The site’s analysis found fewer people in Fresno and Visalia used direct deposit to receive tax refunds in recent years, compared to recipients in other cities.

The delivery method being used by the IRS for stimulus payments is based on taxpayer information from 2018 and 2019 returns. Those who received a refund by mail will receive their stimulus payment the same way, unless they have updated their preference using the “ Get My Payment ” tool on the IRS website.

Visalia topped the list of paper check recipients, with almost 30% of all tax refunds being delivered by mail in the past two years. Fresno was close behind with a paper check rate of just over 24%. By comparison, only about 10% of taxpayers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, received tax refunds in the mail. That is the lowest rate of all 100 cities included in the analysis.

 

Once Check Printing Begins, Direct Deposit Not an Option

The Treasury Department says, after Wednesday, the IRS will begin preparing millions of files to send to Bureau of Financial Services to begin printing paper checks, which will arrive in the mail through late May and into June. The government cannot provide direct deposit once the process of sending a paper check has commenced.

The IRS says it has sent out about 130 million total payments in the first four weeks of the program.

Any U.S. citizen with a valid Social Security number who makes up to $75,000 will get a payment of $1,200; married couples who file jointly and earn less than $150,000 will get $2,400. The payment steadily declines for those who make more, and phases out for those who earn more than $99,000; or $198,000 for married couples. The thresholds are different for those who file as head of household. Parents will get $500 for each eligible child as well.

The Get My Payment tool can be used to check on the status of a payment or provide direct deposit information. It has not always operated smoothly, but the IRS said many of its early glitches have been resolved.

Many Non-Filers are Eligible for Stimulus Payments, Too

The government will automatically send payments based on the information provided in 2019 or 2018 tax returns. Automatic payments will also be sent to those receiving Social Security retirement, disability benefits, Railroad Retirement benefits, Veterans Affairs benefits or Supplemental Security Income soon, according to the IRS.

People who do not traditionally file tax returns, such as low income or homeless, are eligible but must provide basic information through the Non-Filer tool on the site to get payment.

The payments are part of a massive economic relief package Congress passed to lessen the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

(Associated Press contributed to this article.)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

DON'T MISS

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

DON'T MISS

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

DON'T MISS

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

DON'T MISS

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

DON'T MISS

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

DON'T MISS

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

DON'T MISS

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

UP NEXT

North Korea’s Long-Range Missile Test Signals Its Improved, Potential Capability to Attack US

UP NEXT

Visalia Rollerblader Suffered Major Injuries After Being Struck by Vehicle

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Indicted for Possessing Stolen Guns

UP NEXT

On Elon Musk’s X, Dems Are an Endangered Species While GOP Goes Viral

UP NEXT

New Vehicles, Face Paint and a 1,200-Foot Fall: The US Army Prepares for War With China

UP NEXT

CNN Bars Pro-Trump Guest After His ‘Beeper’ Remark to Mehdi Hasan

UP NEXT

LGBTQ Supporters Drown Out Westboro Baptists’ Anti-Gay Message in Fresno

UP NEXT

The ‘Black Insurrectionist’ Was Actually White. The Deception Did Not Stop There

UP NEXT

Washington Post Says It Will Stop Endorsing Presidential Candidates

UP NEXT

What Happened When a Barber Told Trump About His $15,000 Electric Bill

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

51 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

57 mins ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

1 hour ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on Mexico to Curb Immigration

3 hours ago

Music Legend Quincy Jones, Architect of Pop’s Greatest Hits, Dies at 91

3 hours ago

Big Pharma Backs Harris 6-to-1 Over Trump in Presidential Campaign Contributions

3 hours ago

Sanger Men Arrested in Connection with Slingshot Vandalism Spree at Businesses

3 hours ago

What Is Sierra Unified’s Plan to Boost Lagging Student Achievement?

4 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

This year’s early voting period appears to be far more polluted with election misinformation than those in previous presidential races, acco...

25 mins ago

Voters cast their ballots at Desert Breeze Community Center in Las Vegas during the last day of in-person early voting in Nevada on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Nearly 75 million people have cast early ballots, making their voices heard amid worry about the process, the outcome and democracy itself. (Bridget Bennett/The New York Times)
25 mins ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

33 mins ago

Christian McCaffrey Returns to Practice for the 49ers From Achilles Tendon Injury

38 mins ago

California Sues LA Suburb for Temporary Ban of Homeless Shelters

51 mins ago

You May Have Blocked Someone on X but Now They Can See Your Public Posts Anyway

57 mins ago

Some Republican-Led States Refuse to Let Justice Department Monitors Into Polling Places

Gerrick Franklin (pictured), 34, was taken into custody Sunday in Madera County on suspicion of killing Tyler Hamon, 33. (Fresno PD)
1 hour ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal NW Apartment Shooting

2 hours ago

Fresno Murder Suspect Stopped in Las Vegas, Others Wanted

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on stage during a campaign rally in Lititz, Pa., on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. Trump told supporters on Sunday that he “shouldn’t have left” the White House at the end of his term during an end-of-campaign rally where he vented angrily about a spate of new public polls showing him losing ground to Vice President Kamala Harris and joked about reporters being shot at. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Trump’s Crowds Are Dwindling as His Campaign Winds Down

Search

Send this to a friend