Still no stimulus check? IRS system glitches prevented people who filed taxes via H&R Block, TurboTax, others from getting their $1,200 stimulus checks

Yesterday, we told you about the error message people received when they tried to find the status of their $1,200 stimulus check on IRS website. Instead of getting the status of their stimulus payments, tax payers were greeted with ‘Payment status not available’ error message on Wednesday. Now, it seems the error message was due to numerous glitches in IRS system that affected millions of people who filed their taxes using services like H&R Block, Turbo Tax and Jackson Hewitt.

According to The Washington Post, citing consumer law expert Vijay Raghavan, millions of tax payers who filed their taxes using any of the above tax services are unable to get their payments because IRS did not have their direct deposit information on file. To date, IRS has processed nearly 80 million (out of 150 million) stimulus payments to taxpayers since the coronavirus relief bill known as the CARES Act was signed into law less than three weeks ago.

The IRS launched a long-promised “Get My Payment” web portal Wednesday so American could track their stimulus checks and update their bank information in order to receive payment faster. But the tool appears to be experiencing some technical difficulties due to the overwhelming demand from people desperate for financial assistance amid the pandemic.

According to IRS, Americans making less than $75,000 will receive $1,200; couples filing jointly and earning under $150,000 will receive $2,400. Tax payer with children will also receive $500 per child. IRS also plans to launch a website by Friday that will inform people of when they will receive their checks.

Update: If you haven’t still received your check, don’t worry. Below are what IRS said:

• If the IRS has your postal address, but not your direct-deposit information, you should receive a check in the mail later this month.

• If you did not file federal taxes last year, you can still receive a $1,200 check by entering your information into a new tool for non-filers on IRS.gov.

• If you did receive a tax refund last year — but filed your taxes through a preparation service such as H&R Block, TurboTax, or Jackson Hewitt — you may have not received a stimulus payment yet. The IRS is aware of the glitch and believes it has found a fix. You can check on the status of your payment, or provide the IRS with your direct-deposit information, using the agency’s new “Get My Payment” tool. (The site is updated only once a day, however, and checking multiple times in a single 24-hour period can get you temporarily locked out of the tool).

• Finally, if you are an eligible Social Security recipient, you should receive a $1,200 bonus benefit later this month.