If you received more than one stimulus check in this final round of stimulus, or more money than you were actually entitled to receive, unfortunately you will not be able to keep the extra cash on hand.

While some people are waiting for the third stimulus payment, others have received more than they should have received.

In many cases, this is because the person receiving the stimulus check was claimed as a dependent by someone else. This problem was more likely to occur because of confusion over which tax year the IRS used to calculate stimulus eligibility and payments and the timing of the annual income tax filing.

As MarketWatch describes, adults who were previously claimed as dependents by their parents or grandparents may receive a stimulus check3 if they file a 2020 tax return, while family members who have not yet filed a tax return (whose eligibility is based on their 2019 tax return) would also receive payments as dependents of the same individual.

Similarly, adult dependents receiving federal assistance may instead receive stimulus payments that would otherwise be paid to their parents.

There may be other duplicate or erroneous payments. For example, Kiplinger's noted that nonresidents without green cards may have received checks even though they were not eligible for benefits.

If one of the couple dies in 2020, they cannot claim the $1,400 for the deceased individual, even if they were paid based on their 2019 return and could have filed a joint return in 2020.

In the latter case, the only exception is for military family members: if the deceased spouse was an active duty military member, the surviving spouse may claim the stimulus benefit.

This may sound confusing. However, you simply cannot hope that the IRS will not notice that you received more money than you should have received. You have to pay it back.

First, check your most recent income tax return and all of your current or past dependent income tax returns to see where the errors are.

There does not appear to be any special guidance for refunding extra dependent payments, but you will need to file an amended return to correct the error. If you notice that your dependents are being charged twice, you may receive a letter from the IRS instructing you to do so.

Failure to file an amended return may result in an IRS tax audit.

If you need to return payments as a noncitizen or surviving spouse, mail the original paper check voided if not cashed or write a personal check or money order and mail it to the IRS (if you received a direct deposit).

Make the check payable to "U.S. Treasury" and write "Third EIP" and your taxpayer ID (in most cases, your Social Security number) on the check. You must also provide a written explanation of why you are returning the payment.

The IRS has a detailed table of remittance addresses based on where you live.