DECATUR , Ill. (WAND) - Electronic filing for 2020 has officially begun. However, one factor that is unique to this tax season is the two stimulus checks many Americans received and others did not because of their filing status in previous years.

In 2020, qualifying Americans received two economic impact payments (or more commonly known as stimulus checks): one in April for 1,200 dollars and one in December for 600 dollars.
 
For those who did not receive payment and qualified, you still can through the Recovery Rebate Credit when filing 2020 taxes.
 
"Those people that either changed bank accounts or the IRS wasn't able to get those funds to them in any means, the best way to get those funds that are due to you is to file that 2020 tax return and that return is going to reconcile any of those payments that you are entitled to that you didn't receive and for those people that maybe had a new child in 2020 that didn't get picked up on those automatic payments that went out."
 
Certified Public Account Nicole Allen said these payments were based off of either your 2018 or 2019 tax filings.
 
Any major changes to your filing status like getting married, having a child, or switching from dependent to independent could mean you did not receive money when you should have.
 
In order to claim the rebate you are owed, you have to know exactly how much the government owes you.
 
"A lot of people their issue at this point is remembering how much they got in their stimulus payments because some people didn't get the full amount maybe they got a lesser amount and remembering how much they received because you need to know for both of those payments how much you received to be able to get that calculated correctly."
 
The easiest way to calculate that number is by creating an account on the IRS website.
 
"You can create an account on IRS dot gov to be able to get a transcript of your account to be able to confirm how much you really received."
 
If you are not sure if you qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit or have more questions about your taxes consult with a tax advisor.