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IRS disbursing next batch of stimulus checks

Economic stimulus checks are prepared for printing at the Philadelphia Financial Center May 8, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that the sixth batch of Economic Impact Payments is being disbursed this week.

“The sixth batch of payments began processing on Friday, April 16, with an official payment date of April 21, with some people receiving direct payments in their accounts earlier as provisional or pending deposits,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.

This batch of stimulus checks includes nearly two million payments, with a value of nearly $3.4 billion, as part of the American Rescue Plan, the agency said.

It also includes additional ongoing supplemental payments for people who earlier this year received processed 2020 tax returns.

The Department of Treasury also provided these details about the sixth batch of stimulus checks:

Congress approved $1,400 stimulus checks in March and the IRS has distributed more than 100 million payments. Additional information is available on the first five batches of Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan, which began processing on April 9April 2March 26March 19, and March 12.

Individuals can check the Get My Payment tool on the IRS website to see the status of their stimulus and plus-up payments. Additional information on Economic Impact Payments is also available on the IRS website.

Although payments are automatic for most people, the IRS is urging people who don’t usually file a tax return and haven’t received a stimulus check to file a 2020 tax return to receive “benefits they’re entitled to under the law, including tax credits such as the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit.”

The tax filing deadline is Monday, May 17.