Credit: Unsplash

One last little monkey wrench from 2020…

The IRS has already begun sending out stimulus payments from the recently approved stimulus package. As long as you make less than $75,000 annually, you’re getting $600, either in the form of direct deposit or a paper check in a few weeks. The hardest part about making stimulus checks happen last time was just getting approval for them; once everyone agreed, they seemed to go out pretty quickly. Unfortunately, in one last smelly parting gift from 2020, matters have been complicated for an unlucky few.

Numerous reports have been coming in from people using the IRS’ official “Get My Payment” tool to check on the status of their stimulus check, only to receive the message “Payment Status #2 – Not Available.” According to the IRS, if you receive this message, it means, for a currently unspecified reason, you will not be receiving your stimulus check automatically. Instead, anyone who gets this message will need to mention the payment when they file their 2020 taxes this year, and then they’ll receive it. How delightfully roundabout.

“The IRS advises people that if they don’t receive their Economic Impact Payment, they should file their 2020 tax return electronically and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax return to get their payment and any refund as quickly as possible,” the agency told CNBC.

Raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by @turbotax rejecting your stimulus check. pic.twitter.com/k6BM1LBoLa

— C. E. DeRosier (@CEDeRosier) January 6, 2021

A specific reason for this hiccup has not been divulged, though a large portion of people who received the error message apparently filed last year’s taxes through online services like TurboTax and H&R Block, so that may have something to do with it.

Speaking of which, some people who filed their taxes with those services have also been reporting stimulus checks sent to incorrect bank accounts. Again, nobody is quite sure how this happened, but the IRS is advising banks to immediately send the money back to them so they can reissue the payments properly. Apparently, some people who had this problem have already received their payments properly, so at least they’re working to resolve this quickly.