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Waiting on that stimulus check? How to track it through the mail

The IRS says it could take three to four weeks for your check to get to you. Know when you're getting the check before it hits your mailbox.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — You're waiting for your stimulus check to be mailed to you. The IRS says it could take three to four weeks for the check to get to you even though you're "mailed date" was a week or so ago. The reason? The date which showed a  "mailed by" date, is more like the date your money was released so the check could be printed and mailed. 

RELATED: Your mailed stimulus check could take up to four weeks to get to you

So, when will your check get to your mailbox? You can know the day it is going to hit your mailbox if you use the USPS informed delivery service.

The USPS has a free mail tracking app. It's called Informed Delivery.
It's a quick 3-step process to sign up for it.  Informed Delivery takes pictures of the letters as they go through the automated sorting machines. Those pictures are then sent to your phone or computer.

We’ve told you about this free service before, but now that you’re waiting for a second stimulus check, you may actually sign up!  

The service is available to many residential and personal P.O. box addresses but not businesses. It also won't work for some multi-unit buildings where the postal service hasn't yet identified each unit.

Activation time for the feature may vary, but typically you will begin to receive notifications within three business days. You do need to verify your identity. If you have problems with that the USPS gives this answer in their FAQ:

I am unable to sign up for Informed Delivery® since my identity cannot be verified online.  Why can’t USPS® verify my identity online?  How do I subscribe to this feature if I can’t verify my identity online?

Security and privacy are of high importance to USPS.  The current Informed Delivery sign up process requires you to verify your identity. In some cases, an individual may find that he or she cannot complete online verification. If you are unable to verify your identity within your Informed Delivery account online, you may do so at specific USPS locations that provide Identity Verification Services. To locate the nearest Identity Verification Service locations, please follow the steps below:

Sign in to your personal usps.com® account.

 Select “Informed Delivery” in the top right of the page

Select “Enroll”

Select “Informed Delivery”, located in the Account Management section.

If you have already failed to verify your identity online in the last 72 hours, you will see “Verify Your Identity” in red font. Select “Enroll in Informed Delivery”.

You will be given the option to pursue In-Person Identity Verification. Select “Opt-in” under this option. 

You will see a list of USPS locations offering Identity Verification Services near your location.

In the search box below the table, you may type in a new ZIP Code™ location to search for additional Identity Proofing Facilities

Scroll to the bottom of the list and select “Continue to In-Person Proofing.” You will be redirected to a page with more information and receive an email with further instructions.

Please read the information provided on the Informed Delivery page and bring all required documentation and forms of identification to the Identity Verification Service facility. If you do not follow the steps above immediately after failing the identity proofing process, you will need to wait 72 hours before you may attempt identity proofing again for security purposes.

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