So far, the IRS has paid out 169 million stimulus checks in the third round of payments, approved by a narrow vote in Congress in early March 2021. Each of these checks is worth $1,400, for both American adults and their dependents within certain income constraints.

More than four months after the initial legislation was passed, the IRS continues to send out millions of these stimulus payments each week, in addition to the agency’s other responsibilities. As it sends the stimulus payments, the IRS has also been tasked with sending out the first of six Child Tax Credit advance payments to roughly 36 million American families. These two payments are in addition to the agency’s normal job of processing tax returns from the most recent round of filing in May 2021; although most returns have been processed by now, 35 million remain, creating a backlog and delaying the IRS’s other functions.

With all of this happening at the IRS, it would be understandable if a few stimulus checks fell through the cracks. Therefore, if someone has not received theirs, it might simply be that the IRS has not been able to send it out yet.

There are other possible reasons for a delay, of course. The post office could have misplaced it. If direct deposit is being used, the IRS might have inaccurate information on file, therefore making it impossible for them to process the check. One way or another, however, it has been long enough since the checks were supposed to arrive that it is worth checking in to see what happened.

To ensure that their checks are on their way, Americans can request a payment trace with the IRS. The “Get My Payment” tool has been set up on the agency website for this purpose; after entering their information, people will probably be informed what the status of their payment is. In most cases of remaining outstanding checks, they will be in the mail or are being processed within the IRS.

If worst comes to worst, though, and the check has simply vanished somewhere along the line, don’t panic; for those who were unable to claim the check during this year, it can be claimed as a “recovery rebate credit” when filing next year’s taxes.

Even a year from now, it is likely that some number of stimulus checks will remain outstanding; the Boston Herald reported in May that more than 1.2 million stimulus checks from the first and second round of payments were simply never cashed.

Trevor Filseth is a current and foreign affairs writer for The National Interest.

Image: Reuters