Did you qualify for the third stimulus check in 2021 but not claim it? The IRS said it will soon start sending out checks of up to $1,400 to 1 million taxpayers who were eligible for the money but didn't claim the credit on their 2021 tax returns. 

Over 2020 and 2021, the IRS sent three rounds of coronavirus stimulus checks to help those affected by the global pandemic: The first stimulus check went out in early 2020 for up to $1,200, a second economic impact payment, as the IRS called them, for up to $600 went out early 2021, and a third stimulus payment for up to $1,400 went out a bit later in 2021.

Over three checks, the government issued more than 476 million payments for more than $800 billion. Here's who is eligible to receive this pandemic-era payment for up to $1,400 from the IRS. For more, here are tax filing deadlines for 2025 and how to get ready to file.

Who is eligible to receive this economic stimulus payment up to $1,400 from the IRS?

The IRS said most eligible taxpayers have already received their money for the third stimulus payment.

However, the payments the IRS is preparing to send are for those who qualified for the third payment of up to $1,400 but who didn't claim it.

For example, if you filed a 2021 tax return left the data field for the Recovery Rebate Credit blank or filled it out as $0 when you were was eligible for the credit, you will receive a payment, the IRS said.

If you didn't file a 2021 tax return and are eligible for the credit, file your 2021 tax return by the April 15, 2025, deadline to claim the credit, the IRS said.

When will the IRS send the payment?

If you qualified for the credit but did not claim the money on your 2021 tax return, you will automatically receive your payment by late January 2025, the IRS said. The IRS said it will go out automatically in December. "We're making these payments automatic," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement, "meaning these people will not be required to go through the extensive process of filing an amended return to receive it."

How will I get my money?

The IRS said it will send the payment to the bank account listed on your 2023 tax return or to your address of record.

The IRS will also send a letter to you if you're receiving this payment. 

If you closed the bank account you used when filing your 2023 tax return, the bank will return the payment to the IRS, and the IRS will send the refund to your address of record.

For more, here is our end-of-year tax checklist and how your house can help with refunds.