Stimulus Check Update: Here's Who Qualifies for a $1,400 Check in 2022

Don't leave money on the table.

Despite new coronavirus variants and the fact many people across the U.S. continue to face economic hardship, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are very unlikely to authorize a fourth coronavirus stimulus check.

Sadly, this means many people will not be getting another direct payment in their bank accounts from Uncle Sam to help defray the financial consequences of COVID-19. Some Americans, however, are entitled to a $1,400 check in 2022 -- even without any action from Congress. This money has already been authorized and made available to them under the American Rescue Plan Act.

Here's why millions could get a $1,400 payment next year, and some tips on how to determine if you're one of them.

Are you entitled to a $1,400 check in 2022?

The American Rescue Plan Act authorized payments of $1,400 per adult and $1,400 per dependent. President Joe Biden signed the Act into law at the end of March and the vast majority of Americans have already received the full amount of stimulus money due.

However, people who had a baby or otherwise added a new dependent may not have received all the money that they were supposed to get this year. The problem is, the IRS determined how many dependents were entitled to the $1,400 payments by reviewing past tax returns. And if you added a dependent only in 2021, then this information would not have been available to the IRS when your payment was calculated.

If you missed out on a payment for any new dependents you added in 2021, you can claim $1,400 per dependent in 2022. So, for example, if you added twin babies to your family this year, you would be entitled to $2,800 for them. You'll simply have to claim the money by filing a tax return. The payments that were sent out were an advance on a tax credit, so the tax credit should be available to you when you file your 1040 form with the IRS for 2021.

The IRS will begin accepting tax returns in late January of 2022, so the sooner you file your return for 2021, the faster you can get the $1,400 payment that you're owed.

You do need to meet the requirements for the stimulus check under the American Rescue Plan Act, though. This includes falling within the income limits. The full payment is available to single tax filers with income under $75,000 and married joint filers with an income under $150,000. Payments phase out once income exceeds these thresholds, and single filers with an income above $80,000 or married joint filers with an income above $160,000 aren't eligible.

You should make certain to claim this money if you're entitled to it, even if you don't normally file a tax return, as it can help you to offset some of the economic damage resulting from the way COVID-19 upended many people's lives.