Economic Impact Payments on Direct Express® Cards
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Direct Express® Economic Impact Payment Information
Updated April 24, 2020
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Will I receive my Economic Impact
Payment on my Direct Express® card?
IRS will pay Economic Impact Payments auto-
matically to the existing Direct Express® card
accounts of most eligible Social Security, Sup-
plemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans, and
Railroad Retirement Board recipients.
Cardholders who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return
should visit the IRS Economic Impact Payments
Information Center website for more information
on how they will receive their Economic Impact
Payment.
Do I need to take any action in order to
receive my Economic Impact Payment?
Most eligible Social Security, Supplemental Secu-
rity Income (SSI), Veterans, and Railroad Retire-
ment Board recipients do not need to take any
action in order to receive their Economic Impact
Payment. The payment will automatically be de-
posited to their Direct Express® card account.
Cardholders who have qualifying children need to
take additional steps in order to receive the full
amount of their Economic Impact Payment. Visit
the IRS Economic Impact Payments Information
Center website for more information.
When will I receive my Economic
Impact Payment?
We anticipate that most eligible Social Security,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Veterans,
and Railroad Retirement Board recipients will
receive their Economic Impact Payments to their
Direct Express® card by early May.
How will I know when my Economic
Impact Payment will be available on my
Direct Express® card?
The IRS will mail a letter about the Economic
Impact Payment to the recipient’s last known
address within 15 days after the payment is made.
The letter will provide information on how the
payment was made and how to report any failure
to receive the payment.
Additionally, Direct Express® cardholders can sign
up for text or email alerts, check their transaction
history, and view deposit information by logging
into their account at the Direct Express® website.
Cardholders can also obtain account balance
information by calling the toll-free phone
number on the back of their Direct Express®
card, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Due to
the COVID-19 situation, call wait times may be
longer than normal.
Will I be charged any additional fees for
receiving my Economic Impact Payment
on my Direct Express® card?
No, Direct Express® card fees will not change.
For information about card fees and tips on
how to use the card for free, visit the
Frequently Asked Questions section of the
Direct Express® website.
If I receive my Economic Impact Payment
on my Direct Express® card, will I be
charged additional ATM fees to access
those funds?
Cardholders will receive one free ATM withdrawal
for their Economic Impact Payment deposit. This
is in addition to the free withdrawal for each ben-
efit payment deposit the cardholder receives.
What if I recently closed my Direct
Express® card account?
If an Economic Impact Payment is sent to an ac-
count that is closed or no longer active, then the
payment will be returned and the IRS will reissue
the payment.
Will the timing of my benefit payment
be delayed due to Economic Impact
Payments?
No. All federal benefit payments will continue
to be made on time. Cardholders will receive
their regular benefit payment deposit to their
Direct Express® card account on the regular
payment date.
I’m not a Direct Express® cardholder. Can
I sign up for a Direct Express® card to
receive my Economic Impact Payment?
No, only current Direct Express® cardholders are
eligible to receive Economic Impact Payments on
their card.
If you would like to sign up for the Direct Express®
card to receive your Social Security, Supplemen-
tal Security Income, Veterans, Railroad Retire-
ment or other federal benefits electronically, you
can enroll by calling 1-800-333-1795 (toll-free)
Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
or by contacting your paying agency.
Where can I get more information about
Economic Impact Payments?
Visit the IRS Economic Impact Payments Infor-
mation Center website. It will be updated as more
information becomes available.
Where can I get more information about
the Direct Express® program?
Visit the Direct Express® website for more infor-
mation on the prepaid debit card program.
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