Americans are anxiously awaiting their third stimulus relief payment, which could start hitting bank accounts as early as this weekend. HOUSTON — After months of speculation and congressional negotiations, a third stimulus check is on its way to Americans. Those checks will first come in the form of a direct deposit for many, possibly as soon as the weekend of March 13. President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law the $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan, which includes $1,400 direct payments to eligible Americans. It comes just in time as on Sunday, March 14, extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid was set to expire. Payments on the wayWhite House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday the IRS and Treasury Department are working hard to get payments out. She said some people will see direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend."This is of course just the first wave, but some people in he country will start seeing those direct deposits in their bank accounts this weekend and payments to eligible Americans will continue throughout the course of the next several weeks," Psaki said. It's a process so many of us are all too familiar with from 2020 — anxiously awaiting that direct deposit, only to find out it was sent to the wrong bank account or as a debit card instead. These details are still being worked out for the third payment, but one thing is clear, the White House has said it wants to make sure the money goes out as quickly as possible. But we can expect that this time around the IRS will be extra stressed because, unlike during the previous payments, it is also tax season. IRS stimulus check tracker — payment 3As of Friday morning, March 12, the IRS website has temporarily taken offline its "Get My Payment" tracker that was used to track the first two payments. This is likely due to a surge in traffic as people look for their third round of money. So why is it gone and when will it be back online? Here's what the IRS says on its website:Check back soon for information on the 2021 Economic Impact Payment. We’re reviewing the tax provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law on March 11, 2021. For the latest updates, check IRS.gov/coronavirus. Get My Payment Is Temporarily OfflineThe Get My Payment tool is temporarily offline. Check back in a few days for an update on your 2021 Economic Impact Payment. Please do not call the IRS. No additional information is available at this time. KHOU 11 News will update this story as we learn more about the possibility of a new 3rd payment tracking tool. Who gets $1,400 stimulus checks? The House and Senate versions of the bill agreed that individual tax filers making up to $75,000 per year will get $1,400. Couples, who file jointly, making up to $150,000 will get $2,800. There will also be $1,400 tacked on for each dependent in the household. Where they differed was how quickly the stimulus money would be phased out to zero.
