Those $1,200 Emergency Payments Are Arriving — And Debt Collectors May Be Eyeing Them

By Chris Arnold | April 13, 2020 Those $1,200 federal payments to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis have started arriving in some people's bank accounts via direct deposit. But many people will have to wait longer — and there could be pitfalls, such as debt collectors grabbing the money before you do. Those who'll be getting checks in the mail may not see them for weeks or even months. To get the money faster, millions of people will have to provide direct-deposit account information to the IRS. The IRS is just starting to bring portals online to let people do that. The first went live on Friday, but it's just for people who ...