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Why some people in Philly may wait longer for coronavirus checks

U.S. taxpayers who received their tax refunds by mail in 2019 may be in for a longer wait for their direct payments under the coronavirus economic relief package, according to a new survey.

President Donald Trump signs the coronavirus economic relief package at the White House as, from left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence look on.
President Donald Trump signs the coronavirus economic relief package at the White House as, from left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Kevin McCarthy, and Vice President Mike Pence look on.Read moreEvan Vucci / AP

U.S. taxpayers who received their tax refunds by mail in 2019 may be in for a longer wait before their direct payments under the coronavirus economic relief package arrive, according to a new survey.

Millions of Americans who file without linking their bank accounts to the IRS already wait longer for their tax refunds to arrive by paper check. Now, these same taxpayers will have to wait longer again — potentially up to an additional three months — for their stimulus checks, according to a survey by MagnifyMoney, a personal finance research and data service.

Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh ranked among the top 15 cities where residents still receive tax refunds by check, along with Boston and New York.

MagnifyMoney looked at the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. to determine where taxpayers used direct deposit the most to receive their 2018 tax refund. Cities with the highest percentages of check-receiving taxpayers are where people will likely wait longer for financial relief to arrive.

If you didn’t file a federal tax return in 2018 or 2019, you can still go to a website set up by the IRS to enter information to receive a stimulus payment check.

Individuals with Social Security numbers earning less than $75,000 can get $1,200, as well as $500 for every qualified child. Married couples earning $150,000 or less could get $2,400. A smaller payment is available for individuals earning less than $99,000 (or $198,000 for joint filers).

If you did file a return last year but didn’t provide the IRS with your bank account information, you’ll soon be able to supply that information for direct deposit.

Taxpayers who filed in either 2018 or 2019 and provided their bank account information will get their payments automatically direct-deposited.

Otherwise, the IRS will mail checks to taxpayers over the coming weeks and months.

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