- Millions of Americans are getting a $1,200 payment from the US government as part of the coronavirus pandemic response.
- The easiest way to check on the status of your payment is through the IRS website, but a lot of users are getting a “payment status not available” error when entering their personal information.
- A surprising solution has emerged: Typing your information in all caps circumvents the issue for most people.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Millions of Americans are set to receive a $1,200 check from the US government as part of the $2 trillion stimulus package. If you still haven’t received your payment, there’s a good chance you’ve been to this IRS website before.
The form asks for some personal information — your Social Security number, your address, your date of birth, and your zip code — and is supposed to tell you the status of your stimulus check. It also allows users to enter their bank account information for direct deposit.
But a lot of folks are encountering the an error message that reads “Payment status not available” after entering their information.
Great news: There’s a very simple way to circumvent the error, and all you have to do is enter your address information into the form in all caps:
Though it’s a somewhat ridiculous solution, it appears to be an effective one.
Los Angeles Times coronavirus reporter Jessica Roy tweeted about the potential solution on April 25. She received hundreds of responses and retweets, many including confirmation that the trick did indeed work.
In a piece in the LA Times, Roy recounted her own experience with the trick. “Many people, including this reporter, have found that entering their street address in all capital letters was the key to getting in and being able to enter their bank account information in order to have their stimulus funds deposited electronically instead of waiting for a check in the mail,” she wrote. “My husband Joe and I tried it, thinking ‘no way.’ Yes way.”
Give it a shot yourself right here on the IRS website.
SEE ALSO: Everything we know about the coronavirus stimulus checks that will pay many Americans up to $1,200 each
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