IRS Says It Is Sending Checks, Debit Cards for Parents Who Missed $500 Checks

Blank U.S. Treasury checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 18, 2011. (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Some people are still receiving relief payments from the first round of COVID-19 stimulus bill, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which said it will start sending $500 checks to parents starting this week.

In guidance released this week, the tax agency said households can expect to receive payments in the coming weeks.

“The IRS will automatically issue the additional $500 EIP per qualifying child to affected individuals in early August for those who used the Non-Filers tool before May 17, 2020,” the IRS wrote in an update. “You can use Get My Payment to check the status of the $500 EIP per qualifying child, and you will receive another notice in the mail letting you know the $500 EIP per qualifying child was issued.”

Under the CARES Act, passed in March, parents were able to receive an extra $500 per qualifying child under the age of 17. The agency, however, needed more information about dependents from parents who were given incorrect amounts, according to the guidance.

These parents were asked to use the IRS’s non-filers tool to provide more information. Those who did so by May 17 will receive the payments starting next week.

Congress, meanwhile, and White House officials are still debating over the provisions of the next stimulus package, which, if passed, is sure to add stimulus checks of some amount. Republicans in their HEALS Act revealed last week are proposing $1,200 payments for eligible individuals as well as $500 checks, mirroring that of the CARES Act. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to expand the eligibility for who can actually receive the checks.

However, the most contentious issue for negotiators is whether to continue the $600-per-week unemployment benefits. Democrats want to have the benefits end next year while Republicans prefer $200-per-week payments before phasing to a program that would pay 70 percent of a person’s wages.