Stimulus Check Payments: What Is Irs Letter 6475 And Why Will It Give Me A Bigger Refund
If you didn’t receive the stimulus payment you were due last year, now is your chance to claim that money.
Peter Butler
How To and Money writer
I’m a writer/editor for CNET How-To and Money, living in South Berkeley, CA with two kids and two cats. I enjoy a variety of games and sports — particularly poker, ping-pong, disc golf, basketball, baseball, puzzles and independent video games.
Dan Avery
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Dan is a writer on CNET’s How-To team. His byline has appeared in Newsweek, NBC News, The New York Times, Architectural Digest, The Daily Mail and elsewhere. He is a crossword junkie and is interested in the intersection of tech and marginalized communities.
If you didn’t get a stimulus check you were due, you must claim the recovery rebate credit on your 2021 federal tax return.
The IRS sent third stimulus check payments to more than 175 million Americans last year, equaling up to $1,400 for each eligible adult and child. If you didn’t receive a payment you believe you were due — or got less than you were eligible for — you’ll need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2021 federal tax return.
Here’s what to do if you didn’t receive or lost your Letter 6475, or if you never received the stimulus money the IRS claims it sent you.
Th Stimulus Checks Given Out To Targeted Groups
Some states are digging into that wad of cash the government gave them and giving out the fourth stimulus checks to specific groups of people. The requirements look different for each state, but all seem to have a few things in commonlike falling into certain income levels or going through some kind of hardship.
- Arizona
The Grand Canyon State has a different take when it comes to stimulus checkstheyre giving them out to people who are going back to work. Arizonas Back to Work Program is offering $2,000 to those who got a job after being on unemployment.3 But you have to hold down your new job for at least eight weeks before getting the benefit.
- California
The Golden State is the only one on the list to give out big ol broad-sweeping stimulus checks that look like the ones the federal government gave out. Heres how their numbers break down: Californians making $75,000 or less were sent a one-time check of $600 or $1,200 as part of the Golden State Stimulus I.4 And with the Golden State Stimulus II, they could be eligible for a second stimulus payment anywhere from $500 to $1,100.5 Thats on top of extra money the state paid out through the Young Child Tax Credit to those who have children age 6 or younger.6
- Colorado
These guys decided to shift their focus to giving their stimulus checks to the unemployed. They sent $375 to folks who had gotten at least one unemployment check payment between March 15, 2020, and October 24, 2020.7
- Maine
- Missouri
- New Mexico
- New York
Check The Status Of Your Stimulus Payment
You can now check the status of your 2021 Economic Impact Payment in the Get My Payment tool.
All first and second Economic Impact Payments have been sent and will no longer appear in Get My Payment. If you didnt get a first or second payment or got less than the full amounts, you may qualify for the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2020 tax return even if you dont normally file.
Find help with this tool with Frequently Asked Questions.
Get My Payment updates once per day, usually overnight. Do not call the IRS. Our phone assistors don’t have information beyond what’s available on IRS.gov.
Previous payment information is no longer available in Get My Payment. See First and Second Payment Status.
Also Check: Do You Have To File 2020 Taxes To Get Stimulus
Will I Get A Third Stimulus Check
If you are an eligible U.S. citizen or resident alien , you will likely receive a stimulus payment. In addition, each of your qualified dependents, regardless of age, would be eligible as well.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 defines dependent as any dependent for income tax purposes. This is a change from previous stimulus payments that stipulated child dependents under age 17. The proposed legislation also includes mixed-status families in which at least one family member has a Social Security number, similar to the way such families were included with the second stimulus payment.
Second Stimulus Check Update: Heres What To Do If Your Payment Was Lost Stolen Or Destroyed
As many as 8 million Americans may not have received their first stimulus check from the CARES Act in March, according to the Treasury Department.
Even more may still be waiting for a second stimulus payment.
The IRS was required to send the second payments by and some could still be in the mail. Those payments could be in the form of a check or a prepaid debit card.
If youre worried that your payment was lost or stolen, or even if was accidentally destroyed, the IRS is offering new guidance on what to do.
You can request the IRS do a payment trace to see if the payment was cashed, but only if youve received notice that a payment was actually sent.
To do that, you can check the IRS Get My Payment tool, which will show when your payment was issued. You can ask for a trace if its been five days since a direct deposit was made, four weeks since a payment was mailed by check or six weeks from the mailing date if you have a forwarding address.
You can also request a trace if you received Notice 1444 for the first stimulus payment or Notice 1444-B for the second stimulus payment but you still havent received the money.
If a trace is initiated and the IRS determines that the check wasnt cashed, the IRS will credit your account for that payment but the IRS cannot reissue your payment. Instead, you will need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return if eligible, it said.
You do not need to file the form if you requested a trace by phone.
Also Check: How To Apply For A Stimulus Check
I Get Ssi Should I Spend The Stimulus Money Within A Year What Can I Spend It On
Spend down your CARES Act EIP money before 12 months have passed since receiving the payment. You are not limited in what you can spend the money on. You can spend down on whatever you wish, including on gifts and charitable contributions. If you don’t spend it within 12 months, the Social Security Administration will count the money as a resource.
How To Claim Your $1400 Stimulus Check In 2022
- 10:37 ET, Dec 29 2021
SOME Americans can claim a $1,400 stimulus check in the new year.
However, there is specific criteria to follow to receive the cash in 2022.
The new payment will go out to people who were eligible for the third round of stimulus checks that went out earlier this year, but haven’t yet received them.
The last lot of checks are due to go out when eligible taxpayers file their 2021 tax return next year.
Recommended Reading: Next Stimulus Check August 2021
What Qualifies Someone As An Adult Dependent
An important piece of the puzzle, the IRS has a five-part test for determining which adults can be claimed as dependents.
Adult children have to be older than age 17 but younger than 19 to be considered an adult dependent from a tax perspective. If an adult dependent is a full-time student for at least five months of the year, the individual has to be under the age of 24. Most of the time, they have to be related to the adult taxpayer whos claiming them and share the same permanent address. Perhaps even more important: Adult dependents can work a full-time job, as many college students or adult-aged children do, but they cannot have provided more than half of their own support to be considered a dependent. Elderly parents and adults with disabilities who a taxpayer cares for also count.
Who Should Apply For A Recovery Rebate Credit
The IRS has prepared a special worksheet for Americans who think they might be eligible for a Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2020 tax return. Youll have to fill that out when claiming your credit. But there are a few groups of people who might want to pay close attention in particular.
The 2020 tax return is the great corrector for all changes, issues or lost money that you didnt receive with your stimulus check, says Mark Steber, senior vice president and chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt. You may be due $1,200, $1,800 or $2,400. The skys the limit if youve got three children and are married and havent gotten your payment.
Read Also: 4th Stimulus Check October 2021
Amount And Status Of Your Payment
To find the amount of the third payment, create or view your online account or refer to IRS Notice 1444-C, which we mailed after sending the payment.
If you are sent a plus-up Economic Impact Payment after your 2020 tax return is processed:
- The amount of your initial third payment will no longer show in your online account. You will only see the amount of your plus-up payment.
- The status of your initial third payment will no longer show in Get My Payment. You will only see the status of your plus-up payment.
Q How Much Was The Second Stimulus Check For
A. Your second stimulus check depended on your 2019 income. The full amount was $600 per individual, $1,200 per couple, and $600 per qualifying child under the age of 17. For expats to qualify for the full second stimulus check, you must have had $75,000 or less in income if you filed as single, $112,500 or less if you filed as head of household, or $150,000 or less if you filed jointly with your spouse or as a qualifying widow. Youd also then qualify for a $600 payment per qualifying child.
For those above this income level, your stimulus check amount would lower $5 for each $100 your AGI exceeded the above thresholds.
Q. Did I have to pay back the amount I get?
A. No.
Q. Will this affect my 2020 tax return?
A. It could only help your 2020 return. If you are eligible for more stimulus than you were awarded, you may be able to claim it as a credit on your return that either decreases your tax liability or increases your refund. If youre eligible for less or received the full amount, you dont have to pay it back and it wont affect your return.
Q. Will I owe tax on this second stimulus check in 2021 or have to pay it back?
A. No, this is considered a tax credit, not income, so you will not need to pay taxes on it in 2021 or pay it back.
Q. Im retired overseas and dont file a tax return did I qualify for the second stimulus check?
Q. What if I didnt have an SSN but filed a U.S. return. Did I get to take advantage of the second stimulus check?
Read Also: When Will I Get My Stimulus Check 3
How Do I Find My Stimulus Money What To Do About A Missing $1400 Check
Your third stimulus payment could be delayed for a variety of reasons. We’ll help you track down your IRS payment.
Many Americans are relying on stimulus money to cover debt and daily expenses.
To date, the IRS has made 169 million payments for the third round of stimulus checks for $1,400. The agency continues to send weekly batches of payments, so there is still time if you are waiting for your money. However, there could actually be an issue with your payment and the IRS doesn’t want you to call them with problems related to a missing check.
Reasons for a delay could include a lag in mail delivery , if the IRS has incorrect direct deposit information for you or if the agency suspects identity theft. There might be other problems if you’re a recipient of SSI, SSDI or veterans benefits. Or maybe you received a letter from the IRS saying that your $1,400 payment was sent, but the check never arrived. Then what?
We’ll explain below how to request a payment trace or get a recovery rebate credit on your 2020 tax return if you filed a tax extension. We can also share unemployment news, as more states cancel jobless benefits and some offer back-to-work bonuses. Plus, here’s how parents can get money from the child tax credit and calculate their total. This story was recently updated.
How Stimulus Payments For Adult Dependents Are Determined
Adult dependents are eligible for a stimulus check worth exactly what the adult who claimed them receive, a provision exclusive to this round of stimulus payments. In other words, if your head of household or parents were each eligible for a $1,400 payment, each dependent would be eligible for a $1,400 payment as well.
Pay close attention to eligibility requirements, particularly because income cutoffs are much steeper this time around. To receive the full $1,400 check, head of households have to earn no more than $112,500 a year, while married couples must make no more than $150,000.
After that, stimulus checks phase out drastically. Married couples earning $160,000 or more and heads of households making $120,000 or above wont be eligible for a check at all.
Information would be based on your households Adjusted Gross Income on its most recent income information, likely your 2020 or 2019 tax return.
In the previous two stimulus rounds, households only earned extra money for dependents if they were under the age of 16, at an amount of $500 through the CARES Act and then $600 via the second supplemental $900 billion package.
Don’t Miss: My Stimulus Check Went To The Wrong Bank Account
When Will I Get My Money
With Biden having signed the legislation on March 11, 2021, payments could begin going out as soon as the week of March 15.
Taking a more conservative approach, using the IRS timeline for the second round of stimulus checks as a guide, direct deposit payments could begin as soon as March 22, 2021, for those who previously received their second stimulus check.
How Will You Get Paid
As with the first round of stimulus checks, most folks will receive payment by direct deposit. Social Security and other beneficiaries who received the first round of stimulus checks via Direct Express will receive this second payment the same way.
If you didnt receive your earlier stimulus payment by direct deposit, you will likely receive a check or, in some instances, a debit card. If you dont receive a direct deposit by early January, watch the mail for either a paper check or a debit card.
That said, the IRS notes that the form of payment for the second stimulus check may be different than for the first stimulus check. Some people who received a paper check last time might receive a debit card this time, and some people who received a debit card last time may receive a paper check.
Don’t Miss: Do I Qualify For 3rd Stimulus Check
What Can A 17
It depends. If you became financially independent in 2020 and you file your 2020 tax return in spring 2021 independently, you’ll receive the first stimulus check of up to $1,200 and the second check of up to $600 sometime in 2021 on your tax refund, Holtzblatt said. All you have to do is file your tax return for 2020 and claim the money as Recovery Rebate Credit, so long as you meet the regular eligibility criteria for a stimulus payment.
If you’re filing taxes independently, the amount of money you would get in a second stimulus payment would depend on your adjusted gross income, which you can also find on your taxes. Check out our story on how to calculate how much money you should have gotten in a second check. But if a parent or guardian claims you as a dependent on their taxes, you won’t get a check of your own. And if you’re in that 17-to-24 age range, you likely won’t get any money allocated toward your family’s payment, either.
For a third check, if you’re in the 17-to-24 age range and listed as a dependent, you’ll be eligible for a payment of up to $1,400. However, that money will be added to your family’s total, unless one of the situations below applies to you.
College students under age 24 may still be claimed as dependents by their parents or guardians.
How Much Money Did Expats Receive Under The Cares Act
- Single Americans with income less than $75,000 got $1,200.
- For individuals with incomes over $75,000, payments reduced by $5 for every $100 in income above $75,000.
- Those making more than $99,000 did not receive payments.
- These thresholds and payments were doubled for married couples.
- Parents got a $500 payment for each child under age 17, regardless of income.
Read Also: What If I Haven’t Received My Stimulus Check Yet
What Is A Stimulus Check
Stimulus checks are direct payments to American families that the U.S. government provided in response to COVID-19. Three stimulus checks have been paid out during the pandemic:
- The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act authorized the first check. It provided up to $1,200 per eligible adult and $500 per eligible dependent child.
- An additional stimulus check was authorized in December of 2020, providing up to $600 per eligible adult and dependent child.
- A third stimulus check of up to $1,400 per adult and dependent was made available by the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021.