The IRS Explains “Payment Status” Error On COVID-19 Stimulus Payment Tracker

Unsplash / Jorge Salvador, IRS.gov

After the release of the new Economic Stimulus Payment Tracker “Get My Payment” on the IRS’ official website, many people were encountering errors, slow loading times, and even were completely unable to get into the system.

The “Get My Payment” tool was launched two days earlier than expected and the mass amount of web traffic seemed to cripple the website. In addition to that, the mass amounts of deposits flooding into millions of bank accounts at once crashed many bank’s websites and mobile apps.

Luckily enough, it seems that the problem has been eased up and the system is quicker to access.

But, there is another issue for those who have been able to access it… 

Millions of people have tried to use the tool and have entered their information only to be greeted by a somewhat vague error message that says “Payment Status Not Available” and is followed by a very loose explanation.

Because so many people have received this message when accessing the tool, the topic began to trend on social media sites like Reddit and Twitter.

This, in turn, forced the IRS to publish a bulletin about the error message and what it meant when a person received it.

The IRS states that if you get the message, it could be due to the following circumstances:

• If you are not eligible for a payment (see IRS.gov on who is eligible and who is not eligible)
• If you are required to file a tax return and have not filed in tax year 2018 or 2019.
• If you recently filed your return or provided information through Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info on IRS.gov. Your payment status will be updated when processing is completed.
• If you are an SSA or RRB Form 1099 recipient, SSI or VA benefit recipient – the IRS is working with your agency to issue your payment; your information is not available in this app yet.

One media outlet, The Verge, has tested the system and they have concluded that this appears to be a “catch-all” error message. They tried various ways of accessing the site and this presents itself in many of the circumstances they applied.

Now, there is a completely different error that folks are receiving. The IRS system was built with a failsafe measure to block people from overloading the network.

This error message presents itself when a user has accessed the system “too many times in one day.” Nowhere on the site does it say what the limit is, but it appears to be around five to ten.

Once a specific user has accessed the “Get My Payment” tool more than the allowed times, they are greeted with a message that says “Please Try Again Later” and explains that the IRS is “unable to provide you with the status of your payment” and lists two separate reasons.

The IRS states that the block on people who have repeatedly accessed the system is only in effect for 24 hours and that the system is updated overnight to reflect the changes.

See the full news report on these issues from KSDK News below.