Stimulus checks headed to millions of Americans today | How to check your status

Check your bank account! Stimulus checks have been arriving for some Americans over the last couple of days, but Wednesday is when the government says most people will get their direct deposit.

The Internal Revenue Service launched a website Wednesday morning where you can check the status of your payment.

Click here to check your stimulus payment status.

You will need your social security number, your date of birth and your street address. You may also need information from your 2018 and/or 2019 tax return.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is paying out as much as $1,200 per person and $500 per child. However, not every single American is eligible for the payments (find out who is ineligible).

Stimulus calculator: How much money should you expect from coronavirus relief bill

The IRS said this first wave of payments is going to Americans who filed their 2018 or 2019 tax returns and authorized the federal government to deposit their tax return checks directly into their bank accounts.

If the federal government does not have your bank account on file, you will either have to submit that information or wait for a physical check to be mailed.

The IRS is working on its Get My Payment application that will allow people to submit their bank account information, but that application is not complete at this time. The IRS's website said it should be completed "mid-April."

The Treasury has not commented on when Americans will receive paper checks, but a memo obtained by the Associated Press revealed that people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later.

Late March, the federal government passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill intended to give economic impact payments directly to American citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes as a record more than 16.6 million Americans have filed for unemployment in just three weeks. Roughly one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in that time.

Individuals whose adjusted gross income was less than $75,000 will receive $1,200, and married couples filing jointly who make less than $150,000 will receive $2,400.

For people who make more, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000. Parents also receive an additional $500 for each qualifying child.

Single filers whose income exceeds $99,000 and joint filers with no children whose income exceeds $198,000 are not eligible.