“Status Not Available” on IRS Website Could Mean You Won’t See Your Stimulus Payment Soon
On Monday, H&R Block told Americans who had their most recent $600 stimulus payment accidentally deposited into an H&R account instead of their own bank account, that there was no cause for concern.
“Don’t worry,” the tax prep chain tweeted. “[W]e have sent these payments on to the method you chose for Refund Transfer: direct deposit, check or Emerald Card. The money should be there by the end of the day.”
See: Will Your $600 Stimulus Check Come on a Debit Card?Find: Second Stimulus Check: Should You Spend or Save Your $600?
By close of business Tuesday, however, many taxpayers who had used H&R Block or one of their competitors, TurboTax, for their 2019 returns still had not received their stimulus payments.
Some H&R Block customers on Twitter also reported getting partial payments.
So I’m seeing a lot of problems with the stimulus checks concerning H&R Block. Did anyone else get a partial payment on their stimulus? We got $107 randomly from H&R Block but where’s the rest??
— Airwrecka ✨ (@rikkiluv) January 5, 2021
Not everyone is blaming the tax preparers, though. The news kicked up a veritable tweet storm of memes, including this one, which noted that H&R Block had been “handed the biggest hot potato in American history, by the I.R.S.”
H&R Block being handed the biggest hot potato in American history, by the I.R.S.- pic.twitter.com/Qi33ucdi7N
— Simon Psychosis (@SimonPsychosis) January 5, 2021
The IRS reported Tuesday evening that people who see the message “Payment Status #2 – Not Available” on the Get My Payment website may not receive their payment automatically. Instead, they will have to claim the funds as a refundable tax credit on their 2020 tax return.
“The IRS advises people that if they don’t receive their Economic Impact Payment, they should file their 2020 tax return electronically and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax return to get their payment and any refund as quickly as possible,” an IRS representative told CNBC’s “Make It.”
See: The Stimulus Check Secret You Need to Know Before You File Your 2020 TaxesFind: The Major Tax Changes for 2021 You Need to Know About
The IRS also urged Americans to check the Get My Payment portion of the IRS website to discover the status of their stimulus payment rather than reach out to their tax preparer or bank.
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