The IRS has launched a tool on its website for use with the economic impact payments. Taxpayers can utilize this tool to see the payment status, confirm the payment type (direct deposit or check), and provide bank information for direct deposit (in some cases). This site is only meant for taxpayers that have filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return. People who are eligible to receive a payment, but didn’t file a return, have a separate online tool to provide direct deposit information, and I will do a post about that tomorrow. This post will focus on tax return filers.
What can be done in the tool
The tool launched by the IRS for tax return filers can do the following three things in regards to the economic impact payment:
- Check payment status. The amount of payment is not shown. It only shows if you are eligible and the current status of the payment.
- Check the payment type. This will show whether your money is scheduled to be delivered by direct deposit or check.
- Enter bank account information for direct deposit. This is only available if the IRS doesn’t already have this information. See below for more details.
Logging into the tool
Logging into the tool was simple. When I logged into the tool, I had to provide the following:
- Social Security Number
- Date of Birth
- Street Address
- ZIP Code
It doesn’t say in the FAQ, but I’m guessing the street address and ZIP code have to match what was on the last tax return filed (2019 or 2018).
Who can not enter direct deposit information
Before discussing who can enter direct deposit information, I will focus on who can’t enter direct deposit information. Here is the list of who cannot enter direct deposit information:
- 2019 tax filers who provided direct deposit information for their refund. The IRS will use the bank account information from the 2019 tax return. There is no way to change this information via the online tool.
- 2018 tax filers (and haven’t filed a 2019 return) who provided direct deposit information or their refund. Similar to the 2019 filers, 2018 filers are unable to change their direct deposit information. But the direct deposit and/or address to mail a check can easily be updated for these taxpayers by filing a 2019 tax return. That has to be done before payment has been sent.
Who can enter direct deposit information
Basically, anyone who filed a 2019 return (or 2018 if they didn’t file 2019) and didn’t enter direct deposit information will be able to use this tool to provide direct deposit information. This just has to be done before the IRS cuts the check. People who owed taxes on their 2019 (or 2018) return and paid by direct debit will also want to utilize this tool!
One interesting thing I found out when logging into the site is that I had to provide direct deposit information. For the tax year 2019, my wife and I owed taxes when filing our tax return. We paid those taxes with a direct debit from our account when electronically filing our taxes. Apparently, providing the bank information in that manner did not count in regards to this tool as providing direct deposit information. I entered my direct deposit information to ensure the economic impact payment goes straight into our account.
What information was needed to provide payment
Even when logged into the tool, you must provide extra information to verify your identity. Before letting me put in my account information, I had to provide the following information from my 2019 tax return:
- Adjusted Gross Income.
- Whether there was a refund or balance due.
- How much the refund or taxes due was.
All three pieces of information are taken directly from the 1040.
After entering the above information, I was then able to enter the bank routing and account number for direct deposit.
Pretty useful tool
While the tool doesn’t do a lot, it is pretty useful. With this tool, the IRS has provided a simple way for people to check on the status of their economic impact payment. Plus, some people can provide direct deposit information. Providing direct deposit information will speed the IRS’s ability to distribute these payments.
If you have any questions about the tool, I would check the FAQ provided by the IRS. There really is a lot of information there!
Tomorrow I will have a post detailing what taxpayers who don’t file a tax return should do to provide payment information to the IRS. Stay tuned!