ATLANTA — UPDATE 4/17: We've identified some common threads among people experiencing this issue.
UPDATE 4/16: Here is some additional information for people who continue to see this message and believe they shouldn't be.
Original story below
If you file your taxes and haven't yet received your stimulus money from the IRS, chances are you're trying to check on it with the new status tracker the agency now has online.
And if you're doing that, you may be seeing this message:
Payment Status Not Available
According to information that we have on file, we cannot determine your eligibility for a payment at this time.
It may be frustrating, but the good news is you don't appear to be alone.
On websites like Reddit and Twitter this morning, many users are posting the message, wondering what has gone wrong, and commiserating with others still waiting on their stimulus payment.
"Anyone else getting this msg when checking for stimulus funds? Payment Status Not Available According to information that we have on file, we cannot determine your eligibility for a payment at this time," one Twitter user wrote. "@IRS I have filed every single year, up to and including 2018."
At least one Reddit user reported receiving the money into their account despite seeing the message.
11Alive has reached out to the Treasury Department for a statement explaining why so many appear to be receiving the message.
Update: A Treasury spokeswoman tells 11Alive there shouldn't be any errors with people receiving that message. If the IRS is telling you it can't determine your eligibility, a couple things could be happening:
- You've filed for 2019, but it hasn't processed
- You're incorrectly inputting your information. The spokeswoman said it could potentially be an issue with your address.
As a number of Reddit users have reported, the address appears to be a potential sticking point.
Let's take the Georgia Capitol Building as an example:
Its address is 206 Washington St. SW. But for the IRS system, both the southwest "SW" marker and the street abbreviation "St." could be problematic. You can try simply putting 206 Washington Street, spelled in full, or even just 206 Washington if that doesn't work. If you live in an apartment, try it without the apartment number, too.
If you've entered in incorrect information too many times, you will see a message locking you out for 24 hours for security reasons.
If you're locked out for now, it may simply be cleared up when you try again tomorrow. CNBC reports many users saw the message early in the day but that it should have been fixed.
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