Missing $500 Stimulus Check? IRS Sends Paper Checks, Debit Cards to Parents Who Didn't Receive Extra Money

As Congress debates a second round of stimulus checks, some people are still receiving payments from the first time around.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) granted $1,200 payments to individuals with an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less. It also afforded additional payments of $500 for each eligible child, payments some people who got the individual check had yet to receive.

People who used the "non-filers" tool before May 17, indicating they aren't required to file a federal income tax return and don't receive certain benefits, started seeing economic impact payments for qualifying children deposited directly into their accounts on Wednesday, according to updated guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Following the direct deposits, paper checks and debit cards are set to be sent out on Friday.

To qualify for an additional payment, children must be under 17 years of age, which means parents of some high school seniors and most college students will not be eligible.

Those who believe they were eligible for an additional $500 and haven't received it can check the payment's status through the Get My Payment tool. If someone used the non-filers tool on or after May 17, their initial economic impact payment included the additional $500 per qualifying child, the IRS said.

Parents and legislators were critical of the strict eligibility criteria for dependents, as it excluded many people who can be claimed as dependents on tax returns. If Congress can come together and pass another stimulus package, the second round of checks would expand eligibility to all qualified dependents, not just children. However, that's a big if.

Two months after the House passed the Democrat-led Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES), Senate Republicans presented a plan of their own called the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools (HEALS). It was met with criticism from Democrats, who criticized the last-hour proposal for being too little, too late.

Days of talks between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have yielded few results—an agreement on stimulus checks being one of them—and it's possible there won't be a deal. Unable to come up with an agreed-upon proposal by the self-imposed Friday deadline, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delayed the August recess, saying he would be staying in Washington, D.C., and expected Senators to be in the Capitol on Monday.

Thursday's discussion was "consequential," Pelosi said, but not in a good way. It showed the "difference in values" the two sides bring to the table, including that the White House and Republicans don't "understand the gravity of the situation," she said during a briefing.

Pelosi criticized the proposal for being "anorexic" and not providing enough money for food stamps, rent or "money in the pockets" of unemployed Americans. Schumer categorized the meeting as "disappointing" and said the White House was unwilling to "meet in the middle."

Along with being unable to come to an agreement, Pelosi said Meadows "slammed the table and walked out," a narrative the chief of staff denied.

"I don't know what she's talking about," he said, according to The Hill. "I didn't walk out of any meeting all day."

Just as Pelosi and Schumer blamed Meadows and Mnuchin for the lack of progress, Meadows and Mnuchin faulted the House Speaker and Senate Minority Leader. They denied they were the ones asking for Democrats to concede excessive amounts and according to Meadows, their side made "significantly greater compromises."

If a deal isn't reached, President Donald Trump signaled he would be willing to sign an executive order on several issues including expanded unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions. However, details of what that could include have yet to be released and it's certain to not be as extensive as a relief package.

Newsweek reached out to the IRS for comment, but did not receive a response in time for publication.