Here’s exactly how to track your stimulus check arrival

Your third stimulus payment of $1,400 per American may show up in one of three ways. While most major banks deposited stimulus checks directly into the bank accounts of millions of people, millions more are still without the funds.

If you’re among those anxiously awaiting your stimulus check, here’s how you can track your status.

How will you receive the payment?

While millions of people received their stimulus payment via direct deposit, millions more still wait and may not get them via direct deposit.

If you didn’t receive your deposit by March 24, then chances are you’ll receive your payment via paper check as the IRS isn’t making direct deposits after that date.

The good news is it’s easier than you think to track even a paper check. We’ll show you the steps below.

Use the IRS Get My Payment Tool

Click ‘Get my Payment Tool’ and enter your Social Security number, date of birth, street address, and zip code.

This tool tells you if you’re eligible (some income limits and dependent age requirements changed). It won’t’, however, tell you how much you will get. Most people get $1,400 per household member, but there are exceptions to the rule, especially if you make too much money.

The Get my Payment Tool also won’t tell you when you’ll receive your check, but the following steps will get around that issue.

Tracking the check with USPS Informed Delivery

Just in time to track your stimulus check, the USPS released access to its tool called Informed Delivery. Each time the post office scans a letter in your name, it takes a picture of it. If you’re signed up with Informed Delivery, you can access the information and see when your stimulus check may arrive.

The system automatically emails you each morning with an image of the letters being delivered to you. The emails come Monday – Saturday and are a grey-scaled image of the letters.

While it’s helpful when you’re tracking your stimulus payment, you’ll also get emails about every other piece of mail you receive, but fortunately, you can opt-out at any time.

What to look for

Here’s the problem – with the stimulus payments coming in the mail for millions, you need to know what to look for if you’re anything like me and rip up ‘junk mail’ before you open it. 

The stimulus check comes in a white envelope, but it shows the U.S. Department of Treasury on it. So, hopefully, that gets your attention. If you’re one of the thousands receiving an EIP debit card, it will come in the same type of envelope.

From here on out, until you receive your payment, don’t assume anything is junk mail until you open it. 

If you weren’t among the millions who received their stimulus check in their bank account the day after it was approved, don’t give up hope.

While the IRS is behind and it may take a while to get the rest of the payments out, they’ll come, just have patience and become a regular stalker of the USPS website and their new service.