Here's What You Need to Remember: To request a trace, first call the IRS at 800-919-9835 or mail or fax a completed Form 3911, “Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund.” If the trace request was done over the phone, then one no longer has to fill out Form 3911.

According to their most up-to-date press release, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department have announced that 1.1 million more $1,400 coronavirus stimulus checks worth $2 billion have been issued as part of the eighth batch of payments under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

The newest batch now boosts the total number sent out to date to approximately one hundred sixty-four million with a value of $386 billion. As for when Americans can expect to receive these funds, know that this particular batch began processing on April 30 with an official payment date of May 5.

Despite the fact that roughly 85 percent of all stimulus checks now have been disbursed, there are still plenty of reports suggesting that many U.S. taxpayers haven’t seen the funds that they are entitled to.

For those who are stuck in this precarious situation, know that there are several options to tap into.

First, many may not be aware, but taxpayers can speak to a live human regarding their missing, lost, or destroyed stimulus checks. The IRS Economic Impact Payment phone number is 800-919-9835—but be warned that “IRS live phone assistance is extremely limited at this time,” states the agency’s website. What this likely means is that inquiring individuals should be prepared to sit on hold for a considerable amount of time.

Perhaps the most popular option out there is the IRS “Get My Payment” tool, which can be accessed at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. To use it, one will just need to type in the full Social Security or tax ID number, date of birth, street address, and ZIP code—then a stimulus payment status update should soon pop up.

Take note, though, that some individuals will receive a “Need More Information” message, which means that the stimulus check was returned to the IRS because the post office was unable to deliver it.

And others will receive a message that states, “Payment Status Not Available.” The agency says that “if you get this message, either we have not yet processed your payment, or you are not eligible for a payment. We will continue to send the 2021 Economic Impact Payment to eligible individuals throughout 2021.”

Finally, for those who have gotten Notice 1444 or Notice 1444-B from the IRS stating that their payment was issued even though they haven’t received it, the impacted individuals have the option to request an IRS payment trace.

Understand that a similar action can be taken if the IRS “Get My Payment” tool shows that the stimulus funds have been transferred but nothing has changed at all in the recipient’s bank account.

To request a trace, first call the IRS at 800-919-9835 or mail or fax a completed Form 3911, “Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund.” If the trace request was done over the phone, then one no longer has to fill out Form 3911.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn. This article first appeared earlier this year.

Image: Reuters.