Stimulus checks for Veterans Affairs benefit recipients should start showing up in bank accounts Wednesday. The Internal Revenue Service said last week that it was reviewing files from the VA covering individuals who receive benefits but don't normally file a tax return.
Assuming no issues popped up, the IRS said it would start processing the payments and that the majority of would be disbursed electronically and should be received on Wednesday.
Those who want to see the status of their stimulus check can search using the Get My Payment tool, which the IRS said should have been updated for VA payments last weekend.
The Treasury Department has so far issued more than 156 million payments from the American Rescue Plan COVID relief bill, the IRS said last week. That total included 25 million stimulus checks that were primarily to Social Security beneficiaries who hadn't filed 2019 or 2020 tax returns.
The IRS said a large set of payments for those on Social Security retirement, survivor or disability, Supplemental Security Income, and Railroad Retirement Board should have shown up in accounts a week ago.
The first stimulus payments for most Americans went out on March 17, but payments for federal beneficiaries who didn't file a tax return were delayed. The IRS said it was able to start the payment process after receiving data on March 25 from the Social Security Administration.
The agency said most Social Security retirement and disability beneficiaries, railroad retirees and Veterans Affairs benefits recipients who are eligible for the stimulus payments do not need to do anything to get the payment.
Americans who made up to $75,000 in 2020 will get the maximum $1,400 check. Couples who file taxes jointly and made up to $150,000 will get $2,800. There's a $1,400 kicker for each dependent in the household. If the IRS doesn't have the information about that dependent on file, the agency said it may be necessary for some federal benefit recipients to file a 2020 tax return to provide those details.
Travis Pittman and the Associated Press contributed to this report