A NEW batch of stimulus checks with extra cash are on their way to Americans who are getting "plus-up" payments.

The sixth batch of the third stimulus checks have been sent – and you might be getting extra money even if you have already received a payment.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are set to receive $1.2 billion in what the IRS calls "plus-up" payments as part of the American Rescue Plan.

The "supplemental" payments are on their way to people who received cash based on 2019 tax returns in the last round of checks – but who are now due a new or larger amount based on their 2020 returns.

So, if you earned less last year than you did in 2019 due to the Covid pandemic – and you recently filed your 2020 tax return – you may receive a booster stimulus check.

"This batch includes additional ongoing supplemental payments for people who earlier this year received payments based on their 2019 tax returns but are eligible for a new or larger payment based on their recently processed 2020 tax returns," the IRS said.

"This batch included nearly 700,000 of these "plus-up" payments, with a value of nearly $1.2 billion."

The "plus-up" payments make up some of the 161 million stimulus checks which have been sent out to Americans since March 12.

Some $379 billion has been handed out in just under six weeks.

You might also be eligible for a "plus-up" payment if you are a married couple who files jointly, have now filed your 2020 tax return, and it includes a new child or dependent, Yahoo reports.

You could also get some extra cash if you are in a couple who filed separately last year – but you've since tied the knot and now file jointly.

If you are a veteran receiving disability compensation and you were not required to file a tax return for 2019 but have now submitted one for 2020, you could also receive a payment.

And you could get the extra money if you were not required to file a tax return for 2019 and used a non-filer tool to claim your first check last year.

It comes as almost two million more $1,400 stimulus checks are now on the way with a total value of $3.4 billion.

It has been more than 40 days since the payments started being made to the public as they are hoped to provide essential relief amid economic struggles from the pandemic.

In a statement, the treasury said: "The sixth batch of payments began processing on Friday, April 16, with an official payment date of April 21, with some people receiving direct payments in their accounts earlier as provisional or pending deposits."

Meanwhile, a further 600,000 payments in the batch of checks have gone through to people who received Social Security benefits.

Three rounds of stimulus checks have been sent out over the past year to help keep Americans going as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the economy.

And calls are now being made for fourth or even a fifth round of checks as its believed the payments could help lift 12 million Americans out of poverty.

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