Millions of Americans who were owed a 2021 stimulus check never received it, according to the IRS.
Between 2021 and 2021, the federal government issued three Economic Impact Payments to help cushion the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The third and final stimulus check went out in the spring of 2021, providing up to $1,400 for individual filers and $2,800 for married couples filing jointly. A family of four, meanwhile, could receive up to $5,600.
Taxpayers who claimed the credit incorrectly were automatically issued the Recovery Rebate Credit in January 2025.
If you never submitted a 2021 tax return, however, you needed to file one to get your stimulus check. Taxpayers have three years to file a return and claim any refunds, credits or stimulus payments.
So, the deadline for any remaining 2020 stimulus payments was Tax Day 2024, while the cut-off for 2021 payments was April 15, 2025.
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Who is eligible for the $1,400 stimulus check?
The checks represent the last round of pandemic-era stimulus payments, issued in March/April 2021.
Most Americans received any payouts they were eligible for, but last year, the IRS reported that 1.1 million people were still owed their share. Many of them had left the Recovery Rebate Credit field blank on their return or entered "$0."
Those filers were issued automatic payments in December 2024 and January 2025, based on addresses the IRS had on file.
If you never submitted a 2021 return, though, you had until Tax Day 2025 to file and receive the credit.
The size of the credit depends on your adjusted gross income (AGI) and phases out at higher income brackets.
Single filers qualified for the full $1,400 if their AGI in 2021 was no more than $75,000, but the credit fully phases out at $80,000.
Married couples filing jointly qualified for $2,800 if their combined AGI in 2021 was $150,000 or less, but the credit phases out completely at an income of $160,000.
Dependents could earn $1,400 in 2021, regardless of their age, but the same phaseout limits apply.
When is the deadline to receive a stimulus check?
The IRS typically only allows you to file an old return and get a refund within three years, so April 15, 2025, was the last chance to get any outstanding 2021 credit.
According to the IRS, more than $1 billion in stimulus checks from 2021 didn't go out that year.
Not counting the Recovery Rebate Credit, the median refund for non-filers from 2021 was about $781.
Many lower- and moderate-income workers could have also be missing out on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which was worth as much as $6,728 for qualifying families.
| Status | Individual threshold | married filing jointly threshold |
|---|---|---|
| no qualifying children | $21,430 | $27,380 |
| one qualifying child | $42,158 | $48,108 |
| two qualifying children | $47,915 | 53,865 |
| Three or more qualifying children | $51,464 | $57,414 |
Source: Internal Revenue Service
How to claim your $1,400 stimulus check
If you filed a 2021 tax return with incorrect Recovery Rebate Credit information, the IRS sent those payments out earlier this year, either as paper checks or direct deposits using your banking information from 2023.
If you did not file a 2021 federal return at all, you needed to submit your return and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit by April 15, 2025.
Who is due a tax refund from 2021?
Not counting the stimulus checks, the IRS has estimated how many people in each state may be entitled to a refund from 2021, the median refund and the total being returned in each state.
| State | Number of residents impacted | median refund amount | Total potential refunds for 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 18,100 | $743 | $16,048,100 |
| Alaska | 3,600 | $832 | $3,464,100 |
| Arizona | 28,700 | $680 | $24,284,300 |
| Arkansas | 10,200 | $709 | $8,742,300 |
| California | 116,300 | $600 | $92,299,600 |
| Colorado | 19,200 | $781 | $17,267,500 |
| Connecticut | 11,700 | $860 | $11,092,500 |
| Delaware | 4,400 | $790 | $4,112,700 |
| District of Columbia | 2,700 | $883 | $2,642,900 |
| Florida | 69,800 | $732 | $61,087,200 |
| Georgia | 38,500 | $720 | $33,515,300 |
| Hawaii | 5,500 | $865 | $5,281,800 |
| Idaho | 5,500 | $649 | $4,495,800 |
| Illinois | 44,500 | $892 | $42,482,800 |
| Indiana | 25,000 | $778 | $22,581,300 |
| Iowa | 10,900 | $797 | $9,911,600 |
| Kansas | 9,700 | $746 | $8,640,200 |
| Kentucky | 13,800 | $747 | $12,098,400 |
| Louisiana | 17,000 | $777 | $15,278,200 |
| Maine | 4,100 | $817 | $3,714,100 |
| Maryland | 22,900 | $837 | $21,766,300 |
| Massachusetts | 27,000 | $936 | $26,581,100 |
| Michigan | 40,300 | $854 | $37,301,500 |
| Minnesota | 15,900 | $670 | $13,224,100 |
| Mississippi | 9,600 | $701 | $8,283,600 |
| Missouri | 22,900 | $722 | $19,960,200 |
| Montana | 3,600 | $679 | $3,068,800 |
| Nebraska | 5,000 | $760 | $4,439,000 |
| Nevada | 13,700 | $783 | $12,347,800 |
| New Hampshire | 4,800 | $833 | $4,509,400 |
| New Jersey | 31,700 | $657 | $26,537,500 |
| New Mexico | 7,200 | $843 | $6,569,300 |
| New York | 73,000 | $995 | $72,477,100 |
| North Carolina | 35,800 | $719 | $30,754,100 |
| North Dakota | 2,400 | $781 | $2,147,100 |
| Ohio | 39,400 | $762 | $34,735,100 |
| Oklahoma | 15,400 | $739 | $13,501,500 |
| Oregon | 19,300 | $772 | $16,981,500 |
| Pennsylvania | 53,100 | $993 | $52,121,800 |
| Rhode Island | 3,600 | $946 | $3,487,000 |
| South Carolina | 14,400 | $683 | $12,313,300 |
| South Dakota | 2,600 | $745 | $2,237,700 |
| Tennessee | 21,000 | $708 | $18,085,400 |
| Texas | 102,200 | $810 | $94,792,200 |
| Utah | 8,700 | $696 | $7,553,700 |
| Vermont | 2,400 | $816 | $2,136,900 |
| Virginia | 28,500 | $749 | $25,896,200 |
| Washington | 35,200 | $880 | $33,716,000 |
| West Virginia | 4,800 | $818 | $4,422,800 |
| Wisconsin | 14,300 | $730 | $12,425,300 |
| Wyoming | 2,100 | $790 | $1,922,800 |
| Totals | 1,142,000 | $781 | $1,025,336,800 |
Source: IRS
Tax refund FAQs
What is the deadline to get a refund for tax year 2021?
The IRS keeps refunds available for three years, so the deadline to receive any credits or refunds from tax year 2021 was April 15, 2025, the official end of tax year 2024.
Who is still eligible for the Recovery Rebate Credit?
The IRS has already issued checks to taxpayers who either left the Recovery Rebate Credit section of their 2021 return blank or put "$0." Those who never submitted a 2021 return were eligible for the credit, worth up to $1,400, until April 15.
How much is the average tax refund?
As of April 4, 2025, the average tax refund was $3,116, about 3.5% more than the $3,011 average the same time last year. For taxpayers who set up direct deposit, the average refund is $3,186, up from $3,088 last year.
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