Stimulus Check Visa Debit Cards Being Mailed To 8 Million Households

Roughly 8 million stimulus check Visa debit cards are being mailed to households this week, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a press release on Thursday (Jan. 7).

The Economic Impact Payment (EIP) cards were issued by MetaBank, N.A. as part of the second round of COVID-19 stimulus money. Stimulus funding under the CARES Act totaled more than $270 billion. Millions of payments have already been made via direct deposit and paper checks, with the goal of quickly delivering assistance.

The EIP cards will arrive by the USPS in a white envelope that “prominently displays the U.S. Department of the Treasury seal.” Instructions will also come with each card regarding how to activate and use it.

“People who received EIPs by paper check for the first round of EIPs might receive an EIP Card this time, and some people who received an EIP Card for the first round may receive a paper check,” according to the release. The Treasury Department said it set up a special website for EIP card information.

The IRS is supposed to distribute all payments by Friday, Jan. 15. Eligible taxpayers who didn’t receive their payment will need to claim it on their 2020 tax returns, CNBC reported. Anyone with cards from the first round of stimulus can’t reload them. Instead, those people will either get a new card, paper check or direct deposit.

Two-thirds of the second round of stimulus was distributed by Tuesday (Jan. 5). The payments are part of the $900 billion relief bill passed at the end of December, which includes financial assistance for unemployment and small businesses.

People have been frustrated by not being able to reach the IRS about the payments. Some residents are receiving messages that they can only get their checks after filing their 2020 tax returns.