As the U.S. Treasury rushes to distribute second stimulus payments, many Americans learned this week that they will not receive the $600 until they file their 2020 tax return, a delay threatening additional hardship.

The Treasury has paid out about 68 percent of the payments so far, with millions of Americans receiving their $600 via direct deposit or a check in the mail. Yet, some Americans are still waiting to receive their money, and others will not receive any money until they file their 2020 tax return.

The IRS declined to say how many people are affected by the requirement to file a tax return before receiving a stimulus payment, but the National Consumer Law Center said it could be up to 20 million.

“The problem is this bill was passed right at the start of the 2020 tax season,” said John Koskinen, the IRS commissioner under President Barack Obama. “This has all hit when critical testing of the operations of the tax filing system are going on, and without delaying some checks, they can’t get it all done. But it’s not helpful to people waiting for money.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/06/tax-return-stimulus-check/