5 On Your Side

IRS says 'status not available' can mean 1 of 4 things for your stimulus payment

With layoffs and furloughs, federal stimulus payments are supposed to help Americans weather the economic slowdown wrought by the coronavirus, but only if the money arrives.

Posted Updated

By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL executive producer/consumer reporter

With layoffs and furloughs, federal stimulus payments are supposed to help Americans weather the economic slowdown wrought by the coronavirus, but only if the money arrives.

"I have had so much of my hours reduced at work," Kristin Matwiczyk shared. "Thinking I may not get that check until May or June was pretty scary. It stressed me out.”

The Raleigh resident went on www.irs.gov to switch to direct deposit so that she will get her stimulus more quickly.

Yes, the IRS says direct deposit is faster than waiting on a paper check.

Plenty of those trying to check on their payment got a "status not available" message when looking for stimulus updates.

The IRS says that message means means one four things:

  1. You’re not eligible for a stimulus payment
  2. You haven’t yet filed 2018 or 2019 taxes
  3. Your recent income tax return is still processing
  4. Or, for those who receive supplemental benefits, the IRS is working to issue your payment.

The website only updates once a day, so the message won't change if you keep checking your status.

Another common complaint came from those who didn’t get the $500 dependent care payment they qualified for.

5 On Your Side reached out to the IRS but got no answer.

A tax expert said there are many discrepancies with information the IRS has, and the worst case scenario is that parents will have to work out the dependent care payment when they file their taxes for 2020.

While many saw the stimulus money show up in their accounts by direct deposit this week, those payments are still in progress for others.

For Matwiczyk, the deposit can’t come soon enough.

"I don’t have a ton of savings, maybe just a month or so of savings," she said. "When I’m not getting any income, that’s gonna run out really fast."

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