If you have been peen paying attention to the direct-deposit dates the IRS promised for your stimulus rebate, and the date has come and gone, there just may be a reason.  Did you use your refund for a loan from your tax preparer, also called an "instant refund"?  Did you have your tax preparer take their fees out of your refund? 

Either way you probably think you are eligible for direct deposit, but you are not.  You will only get your rebate by direct deposit if you got your entire tax refund by direct deposit, without giving your tax preparer anything out of it.

Here is what the IRS's FAQ page has to say:

Q. I chose direct deposit for my 2007 tax refund but also requested a refund anticipation loan (RAL) from my preparer. How does that affect my stimulus payment?

A. Taxpayers who use Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) or enter into any other loans or financial agreements with a tax professional, such as agreeing to have return preparation fees deducted from their refunds, cannot receive their stimulus payments by direct deposit and instead will get paper checks based on the paper check distribution schedule.

Q. I chose direct deposit for my 2007 tax refund but also requested my electronic filing and/or tax preparation fees be deducted from my refund. Does that affect my stimulus payment?

A. If you requested that your electronic filing or tax preparation fee be deducted from the amount of your refund, you have entered into a financial agreement with the tax preparation provider or e-file software company for a refund anticipated check (RAC). Both Refund Anticipation Checks (RACs) and Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) are bank products. The money that is deposited into your bank account comes from the financial institution associated with your electronic filing software provider or tax preparation provider, not directly from the IRS. Taxpayers who use RALs, RACs or enter into similar loans or financial agreements with their tax professional or tax software companies will not receive their economic stimulus payments by direct deposit. Instead they will get a paper check that will be issued according to the schedule that has been published for paper check distribution.

Q. I chose to have my tax refund deposited onto a "stored value card" or debit card through the professional tax preparer I used. Will my stimulus payment be directly deposited onto that same stored value card or debit card account?

A. Yes, unless you requested a refund anticipation loan (RAL) through your tax professional or the stored value card or debit card account has been closed, in which case you will receive your economic stimulus payment by paper check. Because the IRS must wait until the money is returned, this process may take several weeks.

Above info via http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182735,00.html

Related

http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=180250,00.html