Second Stimulus Check: How Quickly You May Receive It Once Approved?

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Sep 24, 2020 06:15 AM EDT

The new COVID-19 relief bill that the lawmakers are working on to pass includes a second round of stimulus checks for Americans.

The House earlier approved a stopgap spending measure to prevent a government shutdown, but it seems that a new coronavirus relief aid legislation is still far off.

Even though early voting for the November election already started, the deadline for lawmakers to get more stimulus money to Americans before results are tallied gets slimmers by the day.

Right now, we don't know when will the next stimulus check is coming. But suppose the second round of direct payments gets approval from Congress, we can look at how the IRS sent the first round of stimulus checks to some priority groups to give us clues about a possible priority order in a second check.

From here, we can see how quickly Americans could receive their second stimulus checks after meeting the eligibility requirements.

(Photo : Mathieu Turle)
Second Stimulus Check: When Would the IRS Possibly Send Checks If Approved?

When is the soonest you could see a check?

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that he would take about to mobilize the first payments. Mnuchin said he could quickly get out 50 million stimulus payments, and a lot of it will go through people's direct accounts.

CNET speculated possible dates based on calendars from the House of Representatives and the Senate. The schedule is also based on a statement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who vows to keep her chamber in session until they reach a deal.

When will the IRS send a second stimulus check?

The start of the IRS sending stimulus checks depends on when a new coronavirus relief package will pass, which has not yet happened. No one has the exact details of when the legislation that includes the second round of stimulus check will pass.

However, if it happens, the IRS would likely keep the same system for sending out the checks that the agency used to do the first time, including the IRS Get My Payment tool, to track the beneficiaries' stimulus check registering for direct deposit.

Meaning, the agency might follow the same order to distribute payments that led some to receive their checks days or weeks sooner than the others. Up to now, some are still waiting for the first checks. Here is how the distribution of stimulus check happens to start on April 15.

Direct deposit: According to the House Committee on Ways and Means, almost 80 million individuals filed 2018 and 2019 tax returns and had provided the IRS with their direct deposit information. The cutoff to register for the direct deposit was on May 13.

Paper checks: About a week later, the IRS mail these to people without direct deposit data on file.

Social Security beneficiaries: Many still received their checks in the first week. These are people who had direct deposit information with federal agencies filing. However, they accepted it, perhaps not the first day.

Economic Impact Payment debit cards: Starting in mid-May, the prepaid Visa cards were sent to around four million people.

Last group: Those who received their checks after June are still waiting for their stimulus payment or are unaware that they need to fill out an extra step. Until the end of 2020, direct payments will continue for some eligible Americans who were not part of the previous groups. There could be holding up the stimulus check delivery for the other supposed-to-be recipients. They can contact the IRS to report a missing, lost, or stolen check.