Families throughout the United States reported only getting half of the economic impact payments they were expecting this week. This revelation comes days after the Biden administration announced that 90 million payments were distributed.
The $1,400 economic impact payments were to provide qualifying Americans earning an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less, while those making from $75,000 to $80,000 would earn a prorated check.
For couples filing jointly, the payments would be $2,800 for those making $150,000 or less.
Dependents also earned $1,400 if their parents or caregivers qualified.
For Jesse Rodriguez, he was expecting a $7,000 check this week. Instead, he received $3,500.
“My bank (Chase) tells me that they deposited what was sent to them and the IRS can't seem to give a straight response either,” Rodriguez said.
A spokesperson for Chase Bank confirmed that the bank has deposited the amount it has received from the IRS. Other banks have also confirmed that they have processed the full amount given to them.
There have been so many Americans that have not received their full stimulus check, a Facebook group was created this week that has almost 5,000 members.
An IRS spokesperson told Scripps that there is “nothing systematic” that is preventing full payments from going to Americans. The spokesperson noted that the 90 million payments only reflect slightly over half of all economic impact payments that the federal government will distribute.
The spokesperson said that one reason some are not seeing their full payment is due to changes in the number of dependents. A number of separated parents reported that they switched every year which parents claim their children on taxes.
The spokesperson noted that if Parent A claimed a child in 2019 and if it is Parent B’s turn to claim the child in 2020 but had yet to file their 2020 taxes, the stimulus check would go to Parent A.
Another reason for not getting the full amount could be due to changes in income.
The spokesperson noted that there will be an opportunity for those owed a full stimulus check to claim the rest of their check in the future.
“You’re not going to miss out on that payment,” the spokesperson said.
The IRS will have a rebate process on the 2021 tax return. Those tax returns, however, won’t be filed until nearly a year for now.
In the meantime, the IRS spokesperson recommends continuing to check the “Get My Payment” tab on the IRS website.
“Your money may still be coming,” the spokesperson said.
Justin Boggs is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk.Follow him on Twitter @jjboggs or on Facebook.