The Internal Revenue Service announced on Monday, March 17, that it will begin sending more than 130 million economic stimulus payments starting May 2. The initial round of weekly payments will be completed by early July.

Stimulus payments will be made by direct deposit to people who choose to receive their 2007 income tax refunds through direct deposit. All others will receive their economic stimulus payments in the form of a paper check. 

How much will my check be?

To find out the amount of your stimulus check, visit the IRS website to find out using their Online Calculator.

When will I get my check?

Stimulus payments will be sent out in the order of the last two digits of the Social Security number used on the tax return. Because the IRS will use the Social Security number to determine when checks are mailed, taxpayers may receive their checks at different times than their neighbors or other family members. On a jointly filed return, the first Social Security number listed will determine the mail-out time.

The easiest way to find out when to start expecting to receive your rebate is to check the IRS schedule below.  However, to help you find out when exactly you will be getting your payment, the IRS has also added a "Where's My Stimulus Payment?" feature to their website.  By entering some basic information from the federal return that you have already filed, it can help you get a better estimate of when to expect your stimulus payment.  To visit the IRS "Where's My Stimulus Payment?" tool, click here.  If you feel that the information that you find there doesn't quite answer your questions, you would need to contact the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 or by visiting the IRS website at www.irs.gov. 

Stimulus Payment Schedule for Tax Returns Received and Processed by April 15*

If your income tax refund was issued to you by Direct Deposit:

And the last two digits of your Social Security number are:	Your economic stimulus payment deposit should be sent to your bank account by:
00 – 20	May 2
21 – 75	May 9
76 – 99	May 16

If you did not receive a refund from your return by Direct Deposit: 

And the last two digits of your Social Security number are:	Your check should be in the mail by:
00 – 09	May 16
10 – 18	May 23
19 – 25	May 30
26 – 38	June 6
39 – 51	June 13
52 – 63	June 20
64 – 75	June 27
76 – 87	July 4
88 – 99	July 11

*A small percentage of tax returns will require additional time to process and to compute a stimulus payment amount. For these returns, stimulus payments may not be issued in accordance with the schedule above, even if the tax return was processed by April 15.

To accommodate people whose tax returns are processed after April 15, the IRS will continue sending weekly payments. People who file tax returns after April 15 and receive a refund can expect to receive their economic stimulus payments in about two weeks after receiving their tax refunds, but not before the date they would have received their payment if the return had been processed by April 15. To ensure taxpayers receive their stimulus payment this year, they must file a tax return by Oct. 15.