If You Haven't Gotten A $1,200 Stimulus Check, The IRS May Just Need Your Info

An estimated 8.7 million people have not received their $1,200 coronavirus stimulus check, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. And if you didn't get a stimulus check, you may be eligible for one even if you don't file taxes. But the deadline to submit your information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is fast approaching.

While a report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office noted the IRS had issued economic impact payments to all eligible individuals for whom it had information on, millions of eligible individuals have yet to be identified. According to the Government Accountability Office, the Department of the Treasury estimated there were 30 million individuals who would be eligible for a coronavirus stimulus check despite their status as non-filers (meaning they do not normally file a tax return). Some 16 million of these individuals were believed to be Social Security and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefit recipients for whom the IRS had information on and could thus send payment to.

Another 14 million, however, were completely unknown to the IRS as they received no federal benefits and or did not normally file a tax return. As of July 31, 5.3 million of these 14 million individuals were reported by the IRS to have used the federal agency's online Non-Filers tool to provide the necessary information to receive their payment, the Government Accountability Office noted in its report. That leaves an estimated 8.7 million individuals eligible for an economic impact payment but unable to be sent one simply because the IRS does not have their information.

In its report, the Government Accountability Office said those most likely to have not received their stimulus payment were likely those to have needed it most. "One IRS outreach partner also said eligible recipients who have not yet filed for the payment are outside the tax system, likely to be very low-income, and could most use the payment," the report noted.

Additionally, the IRS has identified nearly 1.1 million individuals who were likely underpaid and are owed an additional payment. These include individuals with qualifying children who submitted their information between April 10 and May 17 using the Non-Filers tool but ultimately did not receive the $500 owed to them per qualifying child. According to the report, the IRS has identified more than 355,000 non-filers who received an individual payment but are still waiting to receive payments for any qualifying children. (It's worth noting that, babies born in 2020 do not qualify for a $500 economic impact payment.)

But it's not too late to submit your information to the IRS and claim your payment if you believe you may be among those who have yet to receive their first stimulus payment or who have yet to receive payment for a qualifying child. According to the IRS, non-filers who have not yet received an economic impact payment must submit their information using the agency's Non-Filers tool by Oct. 15. The deadline to apply for payments for a qualifying child using the IRS' Non-Filer tool is Sept. 30.

You can learn more about who is eligible for an economic impact payment and who should use the Non-Filers tool at the IRS' economic impact payment portal.