Second Stimulus Prepaid Debit Cards on Their Way

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced they had begun sending approximately 8 million prepaid debit cards as second-stimulus payments.

The debit cards follow millions of payments already made via direct deposit and paper checks being mailed, per CBS News.

"IRS and Treasury urge eligible people who don't receive a direct deposit to watch their mail carefully during this period," the IRS said in a statement dated Jan. 7 and updated Friday.

The tax agency said it had changed the envelopes to make it more evident they include the $600 checks. After the CARES Act was approved in the spring, some people discarded first-stimulus prepaid debit cards because the envelopes weren't clearly marked as coming from the IRS or Treasury Department. 

The IRS also said the way a person received the first stimulus payment might be different than this payment.

"Some people who received a paper check last time might receive a prepaid debit card this time, and some people who received a prepaid debit card last time may receive a paper check," the IRS said.

Congress approved a $900 billion stimulus package to help Americans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Checks began to be deposited directly into millions of bank accounts on Jan. 4,  little more than a week after President Donald Trump signed the legislation.

Earier this week, it was reported an estimated 13 million checks reportedly were sent to closed or inactive bank accounts. 

The IRS said people can go to Get My Payment to find out when their payments were mailed.

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