Stimulus check: Why your "plus-up" payment might not be as big as you expect

Some Americans are in line to get extra government cash if they didn't receive as much as they were entitled to in the three stimulus checks authorized so far by Congress. But the IRS is cautioning that some people may not get as much money as they expect. 

The tax agency is now sending out those "plus-up" payments to people who didn't get their entire payments from the three rounds of federal stimulus checks, each of which have their own eligibility thresholds and payment amounts. The IRS said it is now sending out extra payments as it processes 2020 tax returns, which may indicate some people are owed more money. Some of those plus-up payments will land in accounts today or will soon arrive in the mail via check or pre-paid debit card, the IRS said on Wednesday. It said about 25 million payments, worth $36 billion, were distributed with an official payment date of April 7, although only about 1 million of those represent "plus-up" payments.