How To Get A Stimulus Check If You Receive Social Security Benefits
You have most likely heard about the COVID-19 stimulus package passed by Congress, called the CARES Act. It includes a $1,200 check for every adult U.S. citizen making $75,000 a year or less. A second stimulus is package is currently in discussion, and may result in another round of similar payments. However, some people have still not received their first check yet. There has also been some confusion about how to get a stimulus check if you receive Social Security benefits. So, were going to give you the facts and help you make sure that you get your relief payment.
Can you get a stimulus check if youre on Social Security benefits?
Yes! As long as you make under $75,000 a year as an individual or $150,000 per year as a married couple, you qualify to receive the full $1,200 per adult. If you earn over those amounts, then your check will be reduced accordingly. The maximum earning cutoff is $99,000 for individuals and $198,000 for couples. Those receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income can also get a stimulus check.
Do you need to file a tax return to get a stimulus check if you dont normally file?
How are Economic Impact Payments delivered?
Are there any other qualifications that you need to meet to get a stimulus check?
What if you dont have a Social Security number?
Stimulus Check Payout Schedule
The IRS has confirmed that the distribution of economic impact payments has started and millions of Americans should have their stimulus check payment by now. Note that this will likely only apply to those receiving the payment via direct deposit . You can see the status of your stimulus check payment on the IRS Get My Payment portal.
- Direct Deposit payments will generally be deposited 2 to 3 days after the IRS confirms income eligibility for the payout.
- Physical checks will take at least 6 to 8 weeks to be mailed out.
Social Security Retirees and Disability recipients who are eligible for the payment will get the stimulus checks/payments deposited the same way they currently get their payments.
Given over 120 million Americans could be eligible for the payment, it will take a while to process the stimulus checks.
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Why Did I Get Two Social Security Checks This Month
MILLIONS of Supplemental Security Income claimants will see two checks this month as the holidays approach. This will apply to the 8million people that are projected to receive SSI in 2022, according to the Social Security Administration. … Further, the more you earn the less your SSI benefit will be.
Read Also: How To Deposit Stimulus Check
Social Security Recipients Will Automatically Receive Payments
On April 1st, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service announced that Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns will not need to file an abbreviated tax return to receive an Economic Impact Payment. Instead, payments will be automatically deposited into their bank accounts.
Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return do not need to take any action, and will receive their payment directly to their bank account.
The IRS says it will begin sending electronic payments to those who qualify and have direct-deposit information on file on April 9th. Those who qualify but havent provided the IRS with bank information through a tax return, TurboTaxs online stimulus check web portal, Social Security or railroad retirement benefits tax form will begin receiving paper checks beginning April 24th.
Other Ways To Get Cash
Although not an offer of government support, there are other ways to supplement one’s income.
Some include a cash-back program that allows people to receive credit for purchasing goods.
For example, major cashback site Ibotta claims its average user earns $150 each year from online purchases and groceries.
And TopCashback claims it gives its average member $345 in cash back.
Other incentives come through banks offering huge sign-up bonuses during the pandemic.
There are even sign-up bonuses for getting a job during the nationwide labor shortage.
Given that there is a massive labor shortage, some companies are paying thousands in hiring bonuses in an effort to lure workers in.
In Florida, for instance, teachers and principals will receive $1,000 in stimulus cash for their commitment to educating during the pandemic.
Other states are running similar programs for the education sector and other industries.
Recommended Reading: Where’s My Second Stimulus Check Irs
The Irs Classifies Me As An Older Adult What Should I Know
Many older adults, including retirees over age 65, received a first stimulus check under the CARES Act and were eligible for the second one — and are for the third as well. For older adults and retired people, factors like your tax filings, your AGI, your pension and if you’re part of the SSI or SSDI program will affect whether you receive a stimulus payment.
The third stimulus check makes older adult dependents eligible to receive more money on behalf of the household. Here’s how to determine if you qualify for your own stimulus check or count as a dependent.
How much stimulus money you could get depends on who you are.
Read More On Stimulus Payments
If you don’t typically file a federal income tax return, this is the step-by-step process you should complete to claim your money.
First, you need to provide the following information:
- Step 1: Full name, current mailing address, and email address.
- Step 2: Date of birth and valid Social Security number.
- Step 3: Bank account number, type, and routing number, if you have one.
- Step 4: Identity Protection Personal Identification Number you received from the IRS earlier this year, if you have one.
- Taxpayers who previously have been issued an Identity Protection PIN but lost it, must use the Get an IP PIN tool to retrieve their numbers.
- Step 5: Drivers license or state-issued ID, if you have one.
- Step 6: For each qualifying child during 2019: name, Social Security number or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number and their relationship to you or your spouse.
Filers cannot be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer and have an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less if single.
If you’re head of the household you must have an income of $112,250 or less, $150,000 or less if married filing a joint return.
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What Should I Do Now
There are several things you can do now ahead of a third stimulus payment to ensure things go as smoothly as possible.
- Make sure the IRS has direct deposit information for you so you will be among the first to receive a stimulus payment.
- If you havent filed your 2020 taxes, consider any difference between 2019 and 2020 income. If the IRS uses your 2019 taxes and you receive more than you would have using 2020 taxes, then you likely wont have to pay that money back.
- Conversely, if you receive a stimulus based on 2019 and actually qualify for more in 2020, then you can claim the difference as a Recovery Rebate Credit when you file your 2021 taxes in 2022.
- If you have a refund coming in 2020 or have makeup prior stimulus credits coming, then you may want to file now to get that money.
- To avoid not receiving your third stimulus and having to claim it as a credit in 2022, even if you dont normally have to file income taxes, consider doing it this year to make sure you are in the IRS system.
Where Is My 3rd Stimulus Check
Check for your status at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment. The third round of Economic Impact Payments will be based on a taxpayer’s latest processed tax return from either 2020 or 2019. That includes anyone who used the IRS non-filers tool last year, or submitted a special simplified tax return.
Also Check: When Are We Getting Our Stimulus
How To Get A Stimulus Check If You Don’t File A Tax Return
If you’re eligible for a stimulus check , the IRS will grab the information it needs to process your payment from your 2018 or 2019 tax return. But what if you didn’t file a tax return for those two years? After all, not everyone is required to file a return. Are you going to get a check, or is Uncle Sam going to stiff you?
The good news is that you’ll still get a stimulus check–but you might have to send the IRS some information first. Whether that extra step is required, and how you provide the necessary information, depends on your unique situation. If, for instance, you’re currently receiving Social Security or other government benefits, you might not have to do anything to receive a check. Other non-filers can choose between different methods of supplying the required information. Read on to find out how traditional non-filers can make sure they receive a stimulus check.
These payments will be sent automatically–you don’t have to do anything. The IRS will get the information it needs from the Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, or Veterans Administration if it doesn’t already have a 2018 or 2019 tax return with your name on it.
Child Or Dependent Qualification For The $500 Payment
Several readers have asked questions around the $500 child dependent additional stimulus payment. To get this payment you must have filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and claimed the child as dependent ANDthe child must be younger than 17-years-old at the end of 2020. They must also be related to you by blood, marriage, or adoption . There is no limit to the number of dependents who can qualify for the additional $500 in one household.
This age limit is much younger than what is used by the IRS in the qualifying child test where a child must be younger than 19 years old or be a student younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year. Hence the confusion being caused by this. So just remember if your child or eligible dependent is 17 or over you cannot claim the stimulus payment for them.
College Kids and High School Seniors
The younger than 17 yr old requirement has ruled out several thousand college students and high school kids who are older than 17, but still being claimed as a dependent by their parents on their federal tax return.
However if you are a college student AND filed a recent tax return you can qualify for a standard/adult stimulus check per the above eligibility rules. But note as soon as you file a return you cannot be claimed as a dependent by others, which means they lose certain other tax benefits and credits.
Also Check: How Often Are Stimulus Checks Deposited
What Impact Will Tax Season Have On My Stimulus Payment
Taxes for 2020 are due on May 17, 2021 . The IRS began accepting tax returns on Feb. 12, 2021. This means your third-round stimulus payment could arrive in the middle of tax season. This alone creates questions such as Do I need to file my 2020 taxes right away? Will the IRS accept my 2019 income? and, of course, Does this mean stimulus payments will be delayed?
Due to the winter storms that hit Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana in February 2021, the IRS has delayed the 2020 federal individual and business tax filing deadline for those states until June 15, 2021.
In answer to the first two questions, you dont need to file your 2020 taxes right away, but depending on your income in 2019 and 2020, you may want to. The IRS will use the latest year they have on file when your stimulus is processed. This means if all they have is your 2019 return, then thats what they will use if you earned less in 2020, then it could be better for you if that number is used.
While its possible that your stimulus check or even tax refund check could be delayed this year, according to the IRS, the additional programming and testing that resulted in the late Feb. 12, 2021, start date for tax season makes that unlikely.
Can You Use The Portal If You Didn’t File A Tax Return
You couldn’t use the “Get My Payment” tool to track the status of your first stimulus check if you didn’t file a 2018 or 2019 federal income tax return. However, there was another online tool that non-filers could use to give the IRS with the information it needed to process a payment.
The non-filers tool wasn’t used for second stimulus checks, though. Instead, if you didn’t file a 2019 tax return, and you didn’t use the non-filers tool to get your first-round payment, then you have to wait to claim your second stimulus check money as a Recovery Rebate credit on your 2020 return.
The IRS is not using the non-filers tool for third-round stimulus checks, either. As a result, if you don’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return, you’ll have to claim any money you’re owed as a Recovery Rebate credit on your 2021 return, which you won’t file until next year. However, you can avoid having to wait until next year by filing a 2020 return before the May 17, 2021, deadline.
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How The Third Stimulus Check Works For Nonfilers
For the third round of payments, in many cases, you shouldn’t need to take an additional step to receive your money if you’re part of a federal program like SSDI or SSI, because these should have been issued automatically. However, if the IRS doesn’t know how many dependents you currently have, you may need to file a free, simple tax return for 2020 so it can pay you $1,400 for each.
If the IRS has your up-to-date 2019 records available, it’ll use those to account for payments, including anyone who used the IRS nonfiler tool to claim a first or second stimulus check. Nonfilers who received a previous stimulus check might also get a check through direct deposit , or in the mail as a paper check or EIP card. Some beneficiaries of federal programs, like SSDI and SSI recipients, may receive their stimulus money through their Direct Express card. Here’s how to track your payment schedule with the IRS.
Stimulus Check Qualifications: Find Out If You’re Eligible For $1400 Or More
The rules aren’t the same for who qualifies for a third stimulus check this time around. Here’s how to find out if you’re eligible to receive the $1,400 payment.
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The third stimulus checks are hitting the 130 million mark by direct deposit and as paper checks and EIP cards. A third wave of checks is ramping up for this weekend and next week. If your check for up to $1,400 per household member hasn’t come yet, it’s a good idea to triple-check your eligibility. If you do, here’s how to track your payment and what to do if there’s a problem with your check.
The requirements for the third payment have changed significantly from the first and second checks. For example, there are new income limits and rules for age, citizenship and tax status that can affect the size of your payment. We’ll walk you through what those qualifications are to help you determine whether you should expect a check — or whether you’ll be completely left out.
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Maine: $850 Direct Relief Payments
Gov. Janet Mills signed a supplemental budget on April 20 to authorize direct relief payments of $850 for Maine taxpayers.
Full-time residents with a federal adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 are eligible. Couples filing jointly will receive one relief check per taxpayer for a total of $1,700.
Taxpayers are eligible for the payment regardless of whether they owe income tax to the state.
Residents who did not file a state tax return for 2021 can file through Oct. 31 to claim their payment.
The one-time payments, which are being funded by the states surplus, started rolling out via mail in June to the address on your 2021 Maine tax return.
The supplemental budget also includes an increased benefit for Maines earned income tax credit recipients.
Read more: Everything You Need To Know About Maine Stimulus Checks
Will You Have To Pay Back The Money
Many people have questions about the economic stimulus payments. The CARES Act makes it clear that the stimulus payment is a unique fully refundable tax credit. Recipients are getting this special tax credit in advance.
Tax filers will technically claim the tax credit on their 2020 taxes, provided one earns enough in 2020 that requires filing a tax return. This advance tax credit will basically wash itself out so filers will not be able to benefit from it twice .
The stimulus checks are nontaxable. As such, they will not be included in 2020 as reportable income. They are officially described in the CARES Act as a Recovery Rebate for Individuals.
Caveat: I am not a professional tax preparer or tax attorney.
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