According to a federal watchdog organization, hundreds of thousands of people who were qualified have yet to get their third stimulus payment by last fall.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issued a report earlier this week stating that over 645,000 people who were entitled to the $1,400 payments have not received them as of September 16, 2021. According to the report, these payments totaled more than $1.6 billion.
Data from the report also shows 167 million people (99.5 percent) received their payouts on time, according to CNBC. Another 294,000 people "were issued an advance payment and reported to the IRS that they had not received their payment or who have not yet activated their advance RRC debit card," the report said.
CNBC also reported that "it's likely that many of these individuals have gotten their stimulus funds" since that mid-September date.
Furthermore, 1.2 million payments totaling $1.9 billion were made to "potentially ineligible individuals," including Americans who got duplicate payments, were not U.S. residents, or were otherwise ineligible for the payments.
In addition, the inspector general issued recommendations for resolving the issue.
"TIGTA made seven recommendations in this report which include ensuring that the individuals TIGTA identified who have not been considered for an advance payment receive a payment if eligible and notifying all individuals who do not receive an advance payment before December 31, 2021, that they are potentially eligible to claim the RRC on their Tax Year 2021 tax return," the report said.
All seven recommendations were accepted by the IRS. For much of the last year, it was evident that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's stimulus cheques would be the last for the foreseeable future. Despite some calls for greater checks, neither the White House nor congressional leaders have pushed for them.
With gas prices increasing in recent weeks, there has been a considerable appetite in Congress for a fresh round of payments, including one proposal that calls for $100 per American in any month when the average price of gas is more than $4 per gallon. The White House, on the other hand, has gone on record as opposing direct payments in the form of "gas cards."
Fast Company reports that stimulus checks to deal with soaring gas prices are "probably a long shot," owing to concerns about growing inflation and a shortage of IRS capacity.
You can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 tax return if you didn't get a payment for which you believe you are qualified.
