Those who receive federal benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) via Direct Express can expect their third stimulus payments "within the next few weeks."
But, as of Monday, the Internal Revenue Service has yet to announce a stimulus payment date for all recipients of SSDI or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
An IRS spokesperson told Newsweek they were "checking on that," when asked for an update on Thursday, and has not yet replied to further requests since then.
Direct Express said last week that it does "not have specific information on timing," while the Social Security Administration has issued no update since March 12.
Below, are the latest updates to be issued by officials at the time of publication.
What the IRS says
The federal body hasn't released an official update since its statement on March 12, which said: "Social Security and other federal beneficiaries will generally receive this third payment the same way as their regular benefits. A payment date for this group will be announced shortly."
The federal body will "automatically send" third stimulus funds to those who didn't file a tax return but are recipients of SSDI, SSI, Railroad Retirement and Veterans Affairs benefits.
However, some of those expecting to receive an automatic third stimulus payment based on their federal benefits information may need to file a 2020 tax return even if they don't usually file taxes.
"If your third payment does not include a payment for your qualified dependent who did not receive a third payment, you must file a 2020 tax return to be considered for an additional third payment even if you don't normally file," the IRS noted on March 4.
The IRS is working with the aforementioned federal benefits agencies "to get updated information for 2021 to assist with stimulus payments at a date to be determined," the federal body said on March 4.
What Direct Express says
In a tweet on March 16, Direct Express said: "While we do not have specific information on timing, most people will receive their stimulus payments within the next few weeks."
The company's latest tweet on Friday provided no further update and only said the IRS is issuing stimulus payments to "eligible recipients over the next few weeks."
The tweet directed users to the Get My Payment portal of the IRS website "for the most current information on individual stimulus payments."
Those who currently don't have a Direct Express card cannot sign up for one now to receive their stimulus payments, Direct Express advised on March 15.
Third stimulus funds sent to Direct Express card accounts that were recently closed "will be returned and the IRS will reissue the payment," the company said.
What Social Security Administration says
No updates have been shared by the Social Security Administration (SSA) since March 12 when its website stated: "The IRS is reviewing the tax provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, signed into law on March 11, 2021. We will add helpful Q&As to this page soon, like we did for each of the first two rounds of EIPs.
"If you still subscribe to receive updates from us when we update our EIP1 and EIP2 pages, we will automatically add you to a subscription list for this new EIP page," the website notes.
Asked Thursday when SSDI and SSI recipients can expect to receive their stimulus funds, a spokesperson for the SSA directed Newsweek to "reach out to the IRS Press Office for a response" to our query.
What NACHA says
A spokesperson for NACHA (National Automated Clearing House Association), which manages the ACH Network, the national automated clearing house for electronic funds transfers, told Newsweek on Thursday: "Unfortunately, it appears we don't know enough yet [about the third stimulus payment date for SSDI/SSI recipients]. The only information we were given is that SSA rules require that legislation be passed before they can work to find eligibility and payment information."
Newsweek has contacted the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service for comment.
More stimulus payments to be issued in coming weeks
The IRS issued around 90 million stimulus payments on Wednesday, the majority of which were sent by direct deposit, while 150,000 checks were sent by mail.
"Additional batches and payments will be sent in the coming weeks by direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card," the IRS said Wednesday.
To check the status of your stimulus payment, see the Get My Payment tool at the IRS website.
The graphic below, produced by Statista, illustrates the composition of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package.
