Fourth Stimulus Check Update: Group To Urge Congress For $1400 Payments To Some Americans
About 75,000 people have signed a petition for a $1,400 stimulus check for Social Security recipients, and the group organizing the push plans to pressure Congress to work on additional payments by the end of the year.
The Senior Citizens League, one of the largest nonpartisan seniors groups, is asking Congress to send out the $1,400 to everyone who receives Social Security benefits. Inflation is adding an undue strain on fixed-income households, and the Senior Citizens League says that this year’s benefit increase hasn’t kept up with the rising cost of living.
“Social Security benefits only raised by 1.3 percenton average that’s $20. That really eroded the buying power people had even just 12 months ago,” Mary Johnson, the group’s Social Security and Medicare policy analyst, told Newsweek. “We thought a one-time stimulus payment would help heat homes right now.”
The organization started the petition at the beginning of October and has since gathered 75,000 signatures, including about 1,600 in the past week, according to Johnson. As it’s done in the past, the organization also engaged in a huge mailing campaign to its supporters and is collecting physical signatures as well. Those signatures have yet to be tabulated into the final count.
Democrats In Congress Are Pushing For A Fourth Stimulus Check
Democrats in the House and the Senate are pushing for another round of stimulus payments for Americans still reeling financially during the pandemic.
Some Democratic lawmakers are also urging Biden to extend unemployment benefits and a child tax credit payment program, in addition to recurring stimulus payments. In March, Congress extended a weekly $300 unemployment payment until early September.
“We urge you to include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions tied to economic conditions in your Build Back Better long-term economic plan,” 21 senators wrote in a letter to Biden in late March.
Stimulus Checks: Some Social Security Recipients To Get Checks Starting Today
May 20, 2020 / 6:16 AM / MoneyWatch
Many Americans that receive extra Social Security benefits for low-income aged, blind or disabled people are likely to receive their stimulus payments today or through the mail beginning on Friday, according to the Social Security Administration.
Some 8 million people get Supplemental Security Income, many with disabilities that typically prevent them from working. The average monthly benefit is $541. That means the stimulus payments authorized under the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic amounts to a significant cash influx for most SSI recipients.
The stimulus payments are $1,200 for single people who earn less than $75,000, while married couples who earn less than $150,000 will receive $2,400. Children under 17 are eligible to get $500.
Although experts say the government money should help people in the short term, simply distributing the funds in a timely way has proved problematic. The Social Security Administration this month published a seven-page “how-to” for Social Security recipients, which provides guidance on which steps beneficiaries should take to make sure they get their payments.
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Stimulus Checks For Ssi And Ssdi: 12 Key Things To Know About Your Third Payment
If you receive Social Security or Veterans Affairs benefits, we can tell you the 411 on the latest stimulus check.
Many SSI and SSDI beneficiaries should have already received their third stimulus payment.
The IRS continues to send out batches of the third stimulus payments — and some are going to people who receive SSI or SSDI benefits. If you qualify for Social Security benefits and you’re one of the few who hasn’t received their check already, you might want to start tracking it down. If your benefits come on a Direct Express card, your payment should have arrived already. But you might still be waiting for your payment if it’s expected to come in the mail or by direct deposit.
If you stopped or started receiving SSI or SSDI in 2019 or 2020, or think your first or second stimulus payment is missing, you may need to request a payment trace. Also, payments started going out to those who receive benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs last month. For those who qualify for retired railroad worker benefits, stimulus payments of up to $1,400 should be arriving soon.
Many Californians Are Enjoying Prosperous Times But 12 Million Older Adults & People With Disabilities Are Worse Off Than Ever Due To 2009
I dont feel like the world or society has been fair to me at all. I worked hard for years. I did what I was supposed to do. Yet every day is hell for me. Im scared to death.
They give you enough so you can stay alive, but still struggle and be in pain. Its not enough to have any quality of life.
If we didnt have extra help from the Food Bank we would starve. Not to mention soap, toothpaste, toilet paper stuff you need to survive. Im just a paycheck away from being homeless.
The worst thing about SSI cuts is that its prevented me from being able to build equity and move out of poverty. I havent been able to save any money.
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What If The Irs Didn’t Send Me The Full Amount For The First Or Second Stimulus Payment
According to the IRS, people who receive Social Security retirement, SSDI, SSI and Railroad Retirement benefits, as well as Veterans Affairs beneficiaries, were automatically eligible for the first two stimulus payments. If you receive these federal benefits as your only form of income, you weren’t required to file a federal income tax return in 2018 or 2019. Under the CARES Act, you should have received a stimulus check automatically.
If that money didn’t arrive, it’s possible you might have had a payment garnished for child support or funds diverted to pay a specific kind of creditor, but the rules changed with the second check. However, an IRS error could also be a potential culprit or the IRS may have needed more information about your eligibility.
To receive your money now, you need to claim the additional amount as part of tax season 2020, using the Recovery Rebate Credit. Even if you don’t usually file taxes, you’ll have to file to get the funds. The deadline for filing your 2020 taxes was extended to May 17, 2021.
In some cases — if you received a letter from the IRS confirming that your payment was sent, but you never actually got the money, for instance — you may need to contact the IRS to request a payment trace.
The IRS says you can create and then check an IRS account to see more information about your eligibility around the first two stimulus payments.
Child Tax Credit: July 15 Deposits
Some families received another form of stimulus aid on July 15 when the IRS deposited the first of six monthly cash payments into bank accounts of parents who qualify for the Child Tax Credit . Families on average received $423 in their first CTC payment, according to an analysis of Census data from the left-leaning advocacy group Economic Security Project.
Eligible families will receive up to $1,800 in cash through December, with the money parceled out in equal installments over the six months from July through December. The aid is due to the expanded CTC, which is part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Families who qualify will receive $300 per month for each child under 6 and $250 for children between 6 to 17 years old. Several families that spoke to CBS MoneyWatch said the extra money would go toward child care, back-to-school supplies and other essentials.
Families may enjoy more of a tax break in coming years, if Mr. Biden’s American Families Plan moves forward. Under that plan, the Child Tax Credit’s expansion would last through 2025, giving families an additional four years of bigger tax breaks for children.
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Am I Eligible For The Third Stimulus Check
The American Rescue Plan provides households with $1,400 for each adult, child and adult dependent, such as college students or elderly relatives.
The payments start declining for an individual once adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 and go to zero once income hits $80,000. The payment starts declining for married couples when income exceeds $150,000 and goes to zero at $160,000.
A qualifying family of four would receive $5,600.
How Does The Irs Know Who Gets A Check
The White House to give an overview of what the American people need to know about the direct payments in the American Rescue Plan. Here’s how it said checks are determined:
- For households who have already filed their income tax return for 2020, the IRS will use that information to determine eligibility and size of payments.
- For households that havent yet filed for 2020, the IRS will review records from 2019 to determine eligibility and size of payment. That includes those who used the non-filer portal for previous rounds of payments.
- For tax returns with direct deposit or bank account information, the IRS will be able to send money electronically. For those households for which Treasury cannot determine a bank account, paper checks or debit cards will be sent.
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Will My Stimulus Check Arrive As An Eip Card
The IRS projects that 5 million stimulus payments will be made by Economic Impact Payment debit card, but checks going out to Social Security recipients won’t take the form of an EIP card. According to the SSA support website: “The IRS does not plan to issue prepaid debit cards to beneficiaries for this third round of EIPs … The Social Security Administration does not administer the EIP debit card program, and did not decide who received an EIP debit card instead of a paper check.”
How Can I Get The Right Amount Of Stimulus Money For My Dependents
The third stimulus check changes the rules and makes dependents of all ages eligible for up to $1,400 each toward the household’s total payment. That includes older adult relatives and college-age children. However, some beneficiaries with dependents will need to file a 2020 tax return to receive the $1,400 per dependent, so that the IRS knows how many dependents you claim.
“People in this group should file a 2020 tax return to be considered for an additional payment for their dependent as quickly as possible,” the IRS said in a March 22 press release.
There are ways you could get more money with the third check and things to know if you had a baby in 2020. There are also tax breaks for anyone caring for children and older adults, and details on whom the IRS counts as an adult to receive their own stimulus check.
For the first stimulus check approved under the CARES Act in March 2020, qualified people with dependents age 16 or younger were eligible for up to $500 per child dependent, but not everyone actually received that extra money. For the second stimulus check, as long as your children were 16 years old or younger, they contributed $600 toward the final total of your household’s second stimulus check.
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How Will I Be Receiving My Third Stimulus Check
If you didn’t submit a 2019 or 2020 tax return or used the Non-Filers tool in 2020 and you receive your monthly Social Security benefits by Direct Express card, it’s likely your third payment will be added to your Direct Express card, according to the Social Security Administration and this informational PDF from Direct Express. Note that you’ll receive one free withdrawal in addition to your usual free monthly withdrawal for monthly benefits.
For the first two 2020 stimulus payments, most SSI and SSDI recipients received them through a non-Direct Express bank account or as a paper check if they didn’t have current bank account information on file with the IRS. The IRS said SSI and SSDI recipients should have gotten their latest round of stimulus money the same way they received their earlier payments, including Direct Express for some.
Will Social Security Recipients Get A 4th Stimulus Check
While it is unlikely that the general public will get a fourth stimulus check, an influential, non-partisan group that lobbies on behalf of senior citizens is trying to persuade Congress to send a $1,400 check to Social Security recipients so they can battle inflation.Jenny Kane | AP Photo
While it is unlikely that the general public will get a fourth stimulus check, an influential, non-partisan group that lobbies on behalf of senior citizens is trying to persuade Congress to send a $1,400 check to Social Security recipients so they can battle inflation.
The Senior Citizens League sent a letter to members of Congress in the House and Senate, urging them to consider a targeted stimulus towards senior citizens.
Weve heard from thousands of them who have exhausted their retirement savings, who have started eating just one meal a day, started cutting their pills in half because they cant afford their prescription drugs, to list just a few of the drastic steps so many have had to take because of what inflation has done to them this year, the letter reads. Many have written to us that our government has forgotten about us.
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In 2022, Social Security checks will have one of the largest cost-of-living adjustments in years, with increases of more than 6%.
This could also lead to surcharges for their Medicare Part B premiums, according to Fortune.
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How Should I Claim Missing Stimulus Money For My Dependents
If you used the IRS’ Non-Filers tool from May 5 to Aug. 15, 2020, the IRS should have automatically issued a catch-up payment for your dependents in October 2020. If you received your original stimulus money by direct deposit, you should have gotten the catch-up payment the same way. Others would have received it in the mail.
If you filed for your missing dependent money by Nov. 21, 2020, the payment should have arrived by the end of 2020 in the same way you received your first payment . If you missed the deadline, your payment should be included on your 2020 tax return in 2021 if you file for a Recovery Rebate Credit.
To see the status of your or your dependent’s payment for the first or second payments, check your IRS account.
How Can I Get Missing Economic Impact Payments And Claim Other Refundable Tax Credits
Date: November 18, 2021
The IRS and the Department of Treasury provided an online Non-Filer Sign-up Tool as a convenient way for people who do not ordinarily file a tax return with the IRS to claim advance CTC payments and missing stimulus payments, or EIPs. The November 15, 2021 deadline to use the tool has passed.
Filing a 2021 Federal tax return in 2022 will allow families eligible to claim the 2021 CTC to receive their remaining benefit. Most families who received advance CTC payments only received half of the value of their credit.
If you didnt file a tax return for 2020 and you did not use the sign-up tool before the deadline passed, you can still claim your full CTC and any amount of the EIPs provided in the American Rescue Plan that you are eligible for but have not yet received, by filing a 2021 Federal tax return in 2022.
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What Should I Know If I’m Not Currently Living In The Us
If you’re a Social Security beneficiary with a foreign address whose monthly benefit is deposited in a foreign bank account, you should receive your third stimulus payment through either direct deposit, Direct Express card or a check in the mail, according to the SSA . The IRS began sending out payments to this group through direct deposit and Direct Express card on April 21, and began sending paper checks in the mail for this group on April 23
If you live abroad but receive your monthly benefits through a US bank, you should have received your first two payments by direct deposit to that account. If you still haven’t gotten your money, it will have to be claimed as part of a tax return. Find out everything you need to know about stimulus checks, citizenship and living abroad here.
Stimulus Checks For 30 Million Could Be Coming Soon After Ssa Sends Files To Irs
WASHINGTON The Social Security Administration has now sent files to the Internal Revenue Service that could free up outstanding stimulus payments to nearly 30 million Americans, lawmakers said Thursday.
Earlier this week, a key House committee asked the IRS and Social Security Administration to explain why the $1,400 stimulus checks from the American Rescue Plan have been slow to get out to people on Social Security and other government programs. On Wednesday, the Democratic leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee demanded the Social Security Administration turn over payment files to the IRS within 24 hours.
In a statement, committee chair Richard Neal, D-Mass., said they were notified Thursday morning that the SSA “has transmitted the necessary payment files to the IRS that have been blocking the sending of stimulus payments to nearly 30,000,000 Americans.”
Neal went on to blame SSA Commissioner Andrew Saul for the delay. In a post on the agency’s website Thursday afternoon, Saul disputed the allegation and said employees have been working day and night with the IRS to get files of Social Security and SSI recipients ready.
Saul wrote that the files were delivered Thursday, more than a week sooner than a similar file was given to the IRS during the first round of stimulus checks in 2020.
He added that they worked to ensure the updated files sent to the IRS have accurate banking information for recipients and removed individuals who have died.
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