1. You didn’t file a tax return for 2018 or 2019 — or you filed one but didn’t get a refund
If you filed your 2018 or 2019 taxes, were due a refund, and signed up to receive that money via direct deposit, you may already be sitting on your stimulus payment. But if you didn’t file a 2018 or 2019 tax return, or you filed one but weren’t due a refund and therefore didn’t include bank account details, then you’ll need to give the IRS that information so your stimulus payment can be processed quickly.
2. Your money went to an old bank account
The most recent bank account information the IRS has on file will be used to determine where your stimulus payment should land. But if you’ve since closed that account, any stimulus money that gets sent there will be bounced back, thereby delaying your payment
3. You’re still waiting on a physical check
If the IRS doesn’t have bank account details for you on file, and you have no intention of providing direct deposit information, then you’ll need to wait for a physical stimulus check to arrive in your mailbox. And that could take a while. It’s anticipated that physical checks will start getting sent out in early May, but only a certain number will be issued per week. Meanwhile, those paper checks will be prioritized so that low-income households receive them first, and all told, it could take up to 20 weeks to mail all of them out.