It has now been nearly three months since the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act and the initial round of $1400 stimulus checks. So far, roughly $2.7 billion has been sent out in June, roughly half in the form of paper checks and half in the form of direct deposits. This, in addition to the checks sent in March, April, and May, totals nearly $400 billion in direct aid to Americans. And more just dropped yesterday and could be even in your account today. 

The IRS has estimated that 90 percent of qualifying Americans have received, or will shortly receive, a stimulus check. If you think you are eligible for such a check, and it has not arrived yet, there might be a number of reasons; they could have the wrong direct deposit information on file, or it simply might have been lost in the mail. Whatever the case, it might be worth following up with the IRS. Here is how.

A number is provided on their website, but the IRS has very strongly discouraged calls. The agency has been faced with a persistent staffing shortage, and thousands of callers. According to the agency, the more efficient way to resolve concerns over stimulus checks is to use the online tool, set up for those with concerns over the status of their stimulus checks.

This tool is called “Get My Payment,” and it is designed to track the status of all recipients’ stimulus payments. While it is not able to answer all questions – where your check is in the mail, for instance – it should be able to tell you if your check has already been processed, and, if it has, when it will be sent out. It can also inform you if you are scheduled to receive the payment via direct deposit.

If the Get My Payment tool is unable to help you, you might need to request a payment trace. This can also be done via the IRS’s website. Alternatively, you can file for a recovery rebate credit, a tax return you can deduct from your taxes in April 2022.

You should certainly take these steps if you still have not received a payment from the first or second round of stimulus checks. However, it is possible that your third payment is simply slow. 90 percent of payments have been made, but this means that 10 percent have not – largely due to the IRS’s staffing shortages and mountain of paperwork. Patience is a virtue.

Finally, if you received a confirmation letter from the IRS, but no check, you should request a payment trace.

Trevor Filseth is a news reporter and writer at the National Interest.