Stimulus Check Update: Social Security Recipients Finally Have A Delivery Date

The Internal Revenue Service has announced it will begin sending out checks to Social Security recipients this weekend, with a majority delivered on April 7. Payments were delayed due to a budgetary issue between the IRS and Social Security Administration.

President Biden signed the American Rescue Act on March 11, but many of the most vulnerable residents have found themselves at the back of the line for stimulus checks.

The IRS determined eligibility for stimulus checks based on tax data, leaving out people who do not need to file taxes. Federal benefits programs picked up the slack by handing over their databases, but Social Security data wasn’t delivered until Thursday.

The issue drew attention as reports surfaced of Social Security recipients being late with rent and bills due to the delay.

The Social Security Administration responded to a query from lawmakers, explaining that the bill had not included funding for work outside the organization’s direct purview. That meant it had to wait for a “reimbursable agreement” to be completed before it could get to work.

While the IRS now has the information for the more than 30 million who were initially left out, most won’t get the money for another week because it’s sent as a direct deposit.

"If no additional issues arise, the IRS currently expects to complete that work and to begin processing these payment files at the end of this week," the IRS said Tuesday. "Because the majority of these payments will be disbursed electronically – through direct deposits and payments to existing Direct Express cards – they would be received on the official payment date of April 7."