Some 1 million taxpayers are eligible for payments of up to $1,400 but time to claim the stimulus money is running out.

The stimulus money, technically known as the Recovery Rebate Credit, is for those who did not receive one or more of the Economic Impact Payments issued during the COVID pandemic and didn’t claim the credit on their 2021 tax returns.

In total, the IRS will distribute some $2.4 billion.

The vast majority of tax filers received their money when the payments were issued in 2021. Others who filed taxes in 2021 but failed to claim the credit received their checks automatically in late January 2025 via direct deposit or a paper check. According to the IRS, most of those cases involved people who qualified for the credit but left the field blank or put in $0 when filing their taxes.

The important deadline comes in for people who haven’t filed their 2021 tax returns. Those filers could be eligible but face an April 15 deadline to file and claim their funds. Filing a tax return is required to claim the stimulus money, even if their income would normally not be enough to require submitting one.

Payments will vary but the maximum amount is $1,400.

Other unclaimed money

Separately, some 1.1 million people have unclaimed refunds for tax year 2021. The IRS estimates the median refund amount owed is $781, totaling more than $1 billion in refunds, outside of any money owed through the Recovery Rebate Credit.

Under federal law, taxpayers have three years to file and claim their tax refunds. If they don’t file, the money becomes the property of the U.S. treasury.

You can see more information on this money here.