For many Americans, the stimulus is coming at just the right time. The pandemic has left many struggling to pay bills, and this payment is providing economic relief.
The Internal Revenue Service said on Wednesday that it had delivered 90 million payments valued at $242 billion in its first batch of checks, while another 150,000 checks worth about $442 million were sent via mail.
But Joshua Bair of Louisville was not expecting his bank account to look like it did earlier this week.
"It was a pretty big shock when we thought we were going to receive $4200 and only got $2100," he said.
But he wasn't alone. Erin Hibbard of Oldham County got a message saying her payment had been posted on March 17, 2021. But the amount was incorrect. She only received half of the $5600 she was owed. And in Clarksville, Indiana Adam Rayborn is left with many questions after not receiving his full payment.
"For us, it's more of the frustration of expecting it and not getting it," Rayborn said.
And now it is a waiting game. Rayborn and his wife have been able to keep their jobs through the pandemic. He said he recognizes that he may not be in a dire situation financially, but he wants to know where the missing money is located.
Bair and Hibbard said similar things, they were both planning on using the money to pay off debt and bills that had accrued during 2020. They both recognized that they were not needing financial assistance immediately, but hoped the money would put them in a better financial situation.
As they waited they found they were not the only ones with this issue. There is a Facebook group, "Half Stimulus Missing/Received Status" that now has over 5,000 members. All are questioning why they have not received the money.
Bair said, "A lot of people in that group have called the IRS or their banks and been told a different answer."
A spokesperson from the IRS said there was not a glitch in the system. He said that payments were coming out in batches, and asked for people to be patient.
He advised against calling the IRS, saying it would not be helpful for anyone. He said the if someone is eligible for this stimulus, they will get the money.