A major opportunity for financial relief has officially closed. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has confirmed that the final deadline to claim the $1,400 stimulus check tied to the American Rescue Plan Act has passed. As of April 15, 2025, millions of Americans who hadn’t yet filed their 2021 tax return have forfeited the payment permanently.
What makes this more painful is the number of people affected and the amount left unclaimed—more than 1.1 million eligible Americans have now lost the chance to receive up to $1,400 per person, simply because they didn’t take action in time.
What Was This Stimulus About?
This stimulus wasn’t part of a new program in 2025, but rather the final opportunity to retroactively claim money from the third round of stimulus checks issued in 2021. That payment was part of the Recovery Rebate Credit, a benefit designed to help Americans hit hardest by the economic fallout from COVID-19.
Many Americans either never received that third stimulus, didn’t get the full amount, or had life changes—such as adding dependents—that weren’t accounted for at the time. The IRS allowed those people to claim the missed money by filing a 2021 tax return, even years later. But the grace period ended this week.
How Much Money Did People Lose?
According to the IRS, those who qualified could have received:
- $1,400 for individual filers earning less than $75,000
- $2,800 for married couples earning less than $150,000
- $1,400 extra for each dependent, regardless of age
Households with multiple dependents could have received several thousand dollars, and low-income Americans—even those with no income at all—were eligible to file and receive the payment.
The problem? They had to file. And now that April 15 has passed, those who didn’t submit their 2021 return are no longer eligible.
No Second Chances, No Extensions
The IRS has been clear: there will be no additional extension, no automatic payments, and no appeals for those who missed the filing deadline. “If you didn’t file by April 15, the money is gone,” one tax expert told CNBC. “That’s it. It reverts to the U.S. Treasury.”
This means more than $1.4 billion in unclaimed stimulus money is now permanently out of reach. Financial analysts say this marks one of the final phases of COVID-era financial relief—and millions have been left out.
Why So Many Americans Missed Out
The reasons vary, but they all come down to one thing: lack of awareness.
Many eligible Americans either didn’t realize they had to file a tax return to claim the money or assumed it had already been paid automatically. Others believed they didn’t qualify because they had no income or weren’t normally required to file. In reality, even non-filers could have received the payment—but only if they submitted a 2021 return before the deadline.
Some people also reported technical issues, confusion about eligibility, or lack of access to filing resources. Unfortunately, those challenges are now irrelevant. The window is closed.
What If You Filed in Time?
If you managed to submit your 2021 tax return before April 15, you’re still in the game. The IRS will process your claim, and if you qualified for the Recovery Rebate Credit, the payment should arrive via direct deposit or check in the coming weeks.
You can check your IRS account online to see if the credit was applied or if the refund is pending.
What You Can Do Now
If you missed the deadline, there’s nothing more to be done regarding this particular payment. The IRS will not accept late filings for this credit, and no appeals process exists. However, tax experts recommend staying updated for other federal or state-level rebate programs. You should also ensure your tax records and banking info are current, and create an IRS.gov account to avoid missing future relief efforts. This deadline might have passed—but staying informed now could make all the difference next time.