The Internal Revenue Service will deliver $1,400 stimulus checks to about a million taxpayers in the coming weeks, officials said.

This money is deposited directly into the bank accounts of eligible individuals or mailed by check.

The checks arrive at a time when the IRS said it is paying out about $2.4 billion to taxpayers who did not claim a refund credit on their 2021 tax returns.

People who missed one of the COVID stimulus payments or received less than the full amount were eligible to claim the credit.

Last week, the IRS said it had found that many eligible taxpayers had not done so.

“When we looked at our internal data, we found that one million taxpayers had failed to claim this complex credit even though they were actually eligible,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement.

So who exactly is eligible to receive a payment, and how do you know if a payment is due? Here’s what you should know.

Who is eligible for the $1,400 IRS stimulus check?

The IRS said most taxpayers eligible for the federal stimulus payments, officially known as Economic Impact Payments, have already received them.

The special payments announced by the IRS will be sent to those taxpayers who filed a 2021 tax return but left the refund credit data field blank or filled the field with $0 when they were actually eligible for the credit.

Here’s how the IRS $1,400 stimulus check works

Eligible taxpayers do not need to take any action. Payments will be made automatically this month and should be received by direct deposit or check by the end of January 2025. They will be sent to the bank account listed on the taxpayer’s 2023 tax return or to the address on file with the IRS.

Payments vary, but the maximum is $1,400 per person. The IRS has posted information online about eligibility and how the payment is calculated.

The IRS plans to notify eligible taxpayers of the special payment in separate letters.

What if I haven’t filed my 2021 tax return yet?

You may still be able to receive the money. However, according to the IRS, taxpayers must file a tax return and claim the refund credit by April 15, 2025, even if income from a job, business or other source was minimal or non-existent.

How many rounds of COVID stimulus payments were there?

There were three rounds of payments to households affected by the pandemic, worth a total of $814 billion. The IRS based the amounts taxpayers received on their income, tax filing status and number of children or eligible dependents.

In March 2020, eligible individuals under the CARES Act received up to $1,200 per income taxpayer and $500 per child. In December 2020, eligible individuals received up to $600 per income taxpayer and $600 per child under the Consolidated Appropriations Act. In March 2021, eligible individuals received up to $1,400 per income taxpayer and $1,400 per child under the American Rescue Plan Act.