Economic Impact Payments (EIP) and How We Can Help

[Robert Steen USAA]

Updated January 18, 2021 

As many are still faced with challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, USAA is continuing to process Economic Impact Payments (commonly referred to as stimulus payments) from the government as quickly as possible.

Just before the new year, the US government signed a bill approving a second round of Economic Impact Payments for Americans of up to $600 for individuals, up to $1,200 for married couples filing jointly and up to $600 per dependent child, based on earnings from your 2019 tax filing.

Status of Economic Impact Payments

At this time, USAA has processed all EIP direct deposit payments received to date. If any additional direct deposit payments are issued, we will continue to process them as we get them. 

If you have questions related to your eligibility for the Economic Impact Payment or the status of a payment, visit IRS.gov. The IRS is advising those who expect a payment and don’t receive one to file their 2020 tax return electronically and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax return to get their payment and any refund as quickly as possible.

We’re continuing to provide full access to Economic Impact Payments for deposit account holders in good standing, even if those accounts have a negative balance.

Track My Payment

Setting up alerts through the mobile app or on USAA.com is the best way to track your payment. Monitoring your account activity this way is also just a wise idea to help protect yourself against fraud on an ongoing basis. Log on to the mobile app or USAA.com to set up alerts today.  

It’s expected that more Americans will receive paper checks than in the first round of stimulus payments, based on a number of factors. Even if you received a direct deposit in the past, you may receive a paper check or prepaid debit card from the IRS for current or future Economic Impact Payments. 

Deposit Paper Checks

If you receive a paper check, you can deposit it into your USAA account quickly and securely, without leaving home. Simply log on to the USAA mobile app, snap a photo of both sides of the check using Deposit@Mobile®¹ and you’re done! Or, you can log onto USAA.com using your computer and use Deposit@Home®. In most cases, your funds will be available right away.

Another option for depositing a paper check is via ATM with check depositing functionality. Use our ATM Locator to find one near you.

Find more information on USAA’s response to COVID-19, and how we’re focused on helping members and the community at usaa.com/coronavirus.

How Do the Elements of the New Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 Affect You?

Back in April, my colleague, JJ Montanaro, wrote about these unprecedented times in his excellent post on the CARES Act. Nine months later, the situation is even more complex. To help Americans get back on our feet, the president just signed a massive new bill – coming in at more than 5,550 pages. The new law combines fiscal year 2021 funding for the federal government with a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package. Since many of the benefits are extensions of the CARES Act (covered in JJ’s earlier article), I’ll focus on some of the important additions and changes stemming from this new law.

Key Updates for Individuals

• Direct cash payments. For those eligible individuals and households, a new round of EIP payments is coming. Payments of $600 will be made to individuals making $75,000 per year or less, with pro-rated amounts paid to those making up to $87,000, and $1,200 payments will be made to couples making up to $150,000 per year based on their 2019 income, with pro-rated amounts paid to couples making up to $174,000. Individuals and couples will also receive up to $600 for each dependent.
  
  
• Expanded unemployment benefits. The new law provides direct financial aid to hard-hit workers through the following benefits:

• Direct payments of $300 per week through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program to supplement all state and federal unemployment benefits, starting after December 26, 2020, and ending March 14, 2021.
• Extension of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which provides continued unemployment assistance to the self-employed, freelancers, gig workers, part-time workers and other individuals in non-traditional employment. The law also increases the number of weeks of PUA benefits an individual may claim from 39 weeks to 50 weeks.
• Continuation of the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program available to workers who have exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits, increasing the number of weeks available for PEUC benefits from 13 to 24 weeks.

• Emergency rental assistance & eviction moratorium. For families impacted by COVID-19 and struggling to pay rent, the law establishes the new Emergency Federal Rental Assistance Program with funds to be distributed by state and local governments. The new measure includes assistance for past due rent and future rent payments, as well as utility and energy bills to prevent shutoffs. The law also extends the existing eviction moratorium in effect to Jan. 31, 2021.

• “Payroll tax holiday” repayment. As you may recall, under the “payroll tax holiday”, participating employers were able to defer 6.2% of employees’ paychecks starting Sept. 1, through Dec. 31, 2020. The deferral was mandatory for military service members, Defense Department civilians and federal workers. Under the new law, employers will have until December 31, 2021 to recoup the deferred taxes. Spreading the repayment across a much larger number of pay periods should help minimize the short-term decrease in income for workers.

• New provisions for small business. The bill includes $284 billion for the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and extends the PPP through March 31, 2021. It provides the option of a second forgivable PPP loan for the hardest-hit small businesses and nonprofits, expands PPP eligibility and establishes dedicated set-asides for lending to underserved areas. Visit www.sba.gov to learn more.

This wraps up a small glimpse of this comprehensive stimulus package. If you think you are affected by any of the provisions in this new bill, you’ll need to do your homework and seek appropriate tax and legal counsel as needed. Visit http://www.usa.gov/coronavirus for more guidance.

About the Blogger: Robert Steen is a Certified Financial Planner® professional and is the Advice Director for Retirement & Complex Planning at USAA. He is responsible for developing USAA’s points of view regarding all aspects of retirement, estate and tax planning.

Eligibility for USAA Deposit@Mobile^® and Deposit@Home^® will be based on your account history with USAA Bank. Deposits may not be available for immediate withdrawal. USAA's Deposit@Mobile and Deposit@Home products, including the corresponding portions of this website or application, may be covered by one or more of the following United States Patents.

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