Why the second stimulus check may be taking so long to arrive

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Only those who make $75,000 dollars or less are eligible to receive the second round of stimulus checks. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will continue sending direct deposits into the week of Monday, Jan. 11, while some payments have already gone out.

American Savings Bank senior vice president Patti Kino said, some people will still have to wait a few more days to see the $600 payment.

“Be patient. We’re working through millions right across the nation of receiving this payment, so just be patient,” said Kino.

The IRS will be sending out payments until Jan. 15.

Kino said, if a person’s bank account information has changed since their 2019 tax return, they may not see their money by then.

“Basically, you know the IRS will use the data that’s already in their system, right, to send out this round two of payments. So, taxpayers with direct deposit information that’s already on file with them will receive the payments that way.”

Patti Kino, American Savings Bank

Individuals that do not have direct deposit information on file will get a check or debit card in the mail. The expected delivery time of the checks and debit cards is about three to four weeks.

“One thing to keep in mind, (people) may have gotten a check or a direct deposit in the first round. In the second round it might swap the opposite way, so some that would have gotten a check in round one may get a debit card this time, and vice versa,” said Kino.

The IRS said, people can track the status of their stimulus check on the IRS website by going to the “Get My Payment” page.

If a “payment status not available” message appears, it means the person either did not qualify for this second round of checks or the IRS was unable to issue them a payment. This can be due to reasons such as the IRS still processing a person’s most recent tax return.

The IRS said it will not be reissuing checks, but people can still file for the $600 in their tax returns this year if they do not receive it. They will then be paid the $600 as part of their refund.