First wave of coronavirus stimulus payments crashes websites for banks, IRS

Heavy online traffic has hit bank and Internal Revenue Service sites Wednesday morning as the first wave of federal coronavirus stimulus payments hits direct deposit accounts.

DownDetector.com, which tracks online outages, reports spikes in reported problems on sites for US Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citi, Capital One and other banking sites, as well as the IRS.

And some people trying to check a new IRS tool to track their stimulus payments are getting a message reading “status not available,” WXIA reports.

“Anyone else getting this msg when checking for stimulus funds? Payment Status Not Available?” asked one Twitter post. “According to information that we have on file, we cannot determine your eligibility for a payment at this time. @IRS I have filed every single year, up to and including 2018.”

A coronavirus stimulus package passed by Congress provides $1,200 checks for Americans who make less than $75,000 a year, plus $500 for each dependent child, McClatchy News previously reported.

Couples earning less than $150,000 receive $2,400.

Individuals who earn more than $75,000 a year or couples who earn more than $150,000 will receive less money, according to the story.

The first direct deposit payments began showing up in people’s bank accounts over the weekend, McClatchy News previously reported. People receiving paper checks will get their money in a few weeks.

The money’s intended to help people who have been forced to stay home to help curb the spread of coronavirus, in some cases losing their jobs as a result.

More than 2 million cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 138,000 deaths as of April 15, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 639,000 confirmed cases with more than 30,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic. In the United States, President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency.

This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 11:11 AM with the headline "First wave of coronavirus stimulus payments crashes websites for banks, IRS."