Still haven't received my 2021 stimulus check... what am I missing?

The 2021 stimulus payments (officially called the third Economic Impact Payment) were actually issued throughout 2021, not as part of the 2025 tax filing season. If you didn't receive it automatically when it was initially distributed, you would need to claim it on your tax return as the Recovery Rebate Credit. When you say your 2021 tax return was submitted and verified, did you specifically claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on that return? It wouldn't have happened automatically just by filing. You needed to complete the Recovery Rebate Credit worksheet and enter the amount on your Form 1040. If you didn't do this, you may need to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to claim it. You can also check the status of your stimulus payment using the "Get My Payment" tool on the IRS website, though that tool may no longer be active for the 2021 payments. Another option is to request your tax account transcript online, which would show if the payment was issued.

I went through this exact headache last year trying to track down a missing stimulus payment. After weeks of getting nowhere with the IRS phone line, I finally used https://taxr.ai to analyze my tax transcripts and they immediately spotted the problem - there was a discrepancy between how the payment was coded on my transcript vs. how it should have been claimed on my return. Their system flagged exactly what forms I needed to submit and even helped me prepare a letter explaining the situation. Within 3 weeks of sending in the documents they recommended, I got my missing stimulus payment. Saved me so much time trying to decode all the IRS jargon in my transcript!

Just wanted to update - I tried https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow, it actually worked! I uploaded my transcript and it immediately identified that my stimulus had been issued but then reversed due to a bank account verification issue. No one at the IRS had mentioned this to me despite multiple calls. The system generated a letter template explaining exactly what happened and what I needed to request. I sent it in last week and just got confirmation that they're reprocessing my payment. Would have never figured this out without seeing those transaction codes explained. Definitely worth trying if you're stuck like I was!

After spending 14+ hours trying to reach someone at the IRS about my missing stimulus (kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours), I finally used https://claimyr.com and got connected to an IRS agent in 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed my payment was issued but returned to the IRS because of an account number typo. They immediately started the reissue process for me. After months of stress, it was resolved in one phone call. Just thought I'd share since it sounds like you're having the same frustration I did with trying to reach someone.

Coming back to eat my words. After posting my skeptical comment yesterday, I was still desperate about my own stimulus issue so I decided to try Claimyr anyway. I figured if it didn't work I could dispute the charge. Surprisingly, it actually worked exactly as described. Their system called the IRS, went through all the menus, and waited on hold. I got a text after about 45 minutes saying they had an agent on the line, I picked up my phone, and was immediately talking to an IRS representative. The agent was able to confirm my stimulus was sent to the wrong account number and they're sending me a paper check instead. Saved me hours of waiting on hold and potentially getting disconnected again. I'm genuinely shocked this worked.

Has anyone tried using the "Get My Payment" tool through IRS.gov to track their stimulus? That's how I found out mine had been sent to my old closed bank account. The tool should tell you when it was issued and how (direct deposit or check).

Another option nobody has mentioned - have you checked if the stimulus might have come as a debit card? My wife and I nearly threw ours away because it came in a plain envelope that looked like junk mail. The card was from "Money Network" and didn't clearly say it was the stimulus payment on the envelope.

I'm dealing with a similar issue but mine is even more confusing - my transcript shows TWO different stimulus payments were issued for 2021, but I only received one of them. The first one in March 2021 came through fine, but there's a second entry in July 2021 that I never got. Has anyone else seen multiple stimulus entries on their transcript? I'm wondering if this could be related to the plus-up payments they were sending out when people's 2020 tax returns showed they qualified for more money than their initial payment. The amounts don't match what I expected though, so I'm not sure what's going on. I might try one of those services people mentioned here since calling the IRS has been absolutely useless - I've been disconnected three times after waiting over an hour each time.