Here's the story: I tried to log on to the IRS's brand-new 'stimulus tracker' website. But I ran into so many issues, I'm worried I won't get my check at all...And guess what? I'm not alone.

On April 15, the Internal Revenue Service launched a free website that could help you track your stimulus check, help you correct any bank information that was wrong and ensure that you get that $1,200 sailing into your account pronto.

However, as thousands logged on to find out where their money is, the IRS's site came under intense online scrutiny, especially after error messages became more common than messages of success.

I logged on yesterday since I finished filing my taxes back in February, well before the deadline that has now been pushed back to July for filers. I got through the first portal without any problems, as it was asking for simple information: my name, my birthday and my social security number. But when it came to the second portal, which was asking for bank information, I was told my information didn't match that on my tax return.

Hmm. Maybe I typed in a wrong number on accident. I tried again. "Payment status not available", the message read, "We are not able to determine your eligibility at this time."

I tried a third time, then got locked out for 24 hours.

WHAT? I started to panic, wondering if everyone was going to get their payment except for me, and knowing that there isn't really a customer service number for this thing, either, didn't help. I checked Twitter, and turns out, I'm not the only one running into technical difficulties.

The Verge recently reported that many users are getting a "catch-all" error message:

Making it worse, “payment status unavailable” also appears if you simply enter a made-up social security number, birth date, and address combination, so it appears to be generic catch-all error for the system, instead of a useful or actionable error message. (Source)

However, the IRS claims that the site is running smoothly and effectively, and according to Fox 31 has helped millions of people. "By midday Wednesday, the IRS said 6.2 million taxpayers had received their payment status and almost 1.1 million had added direct deposit information" (source), so...maybe I just need to try again?

After 24 hours, of course.

Have you had issues with the stimulus tracker? Let us know in the comments below.

MORE TO EXPLORE: See the the COVID-19 stimulus bill broken down by the numbers

 

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