Social Security Recipients Are Still Waiting
According to the IRS, the third round of economic stimulus, known to the Treasury as EIP3, will be sent to people who didnt file a return but receive Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits , Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income or Veterans Affairs benefits. This is similar to the first and second rounds of Economic Impact Payments, often referred to as EIP1 and EIP2.
The IRS has not confirmed the official payment date. Social Security recipients will get the payment the same way they would normally receive Social Security benefits.
For those who received EIP1 or EIP2 but dont receive a payment via direct deposit, they will generally receive a check or, in some instances, a prepaid debit card . A payment will not be added to an existing EIP card mailed for the first or second round of stimulus payments, the IRS says.
While the payment date for many recipients was March 18, a specific date for Social Security recipients has not been confirmed.
Hunsches advice to those eager to get their checks is to be patient.
Generally, by about the end of the month, everybody should start seeing their payments, or at least be notified of whats going on as to why you didnt get your direct deposit today, he said.
He said youd most likely be notified by a letter in the mail.
Stimulus Checks Arent A New Recession Tool
In economic downturns, the U.S. government has a number of levers it can pull to keep families spending and shielded from the most dire situations. Continued spending is key, because if peoples buying slows or dries up, companies respond to lowering profits by laying off even more workers, which only deepens and prolongs the hard times.
Relief strategies include enhancing unemployment benefits, boosting food stamps, temporarily slashing taxes and sending out stimulus checks.
The government deployed stimulus checks in the 2001 and 2008 recessions, but the pandemic prompted payments on an unprecedented scale, Sahm said: This Covid recession was the first time that multiple rounds were sent out.
There were three rounds of the checks: Those who were eligible received up to $1,200 in April 2020, up to $600 in December 2020 or January 2021, and up to $1,400 in March 2021.
Here are some reasons Sahm and other economists cite as making it likely stimulus checks will be sent out again in the event of another recession.
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Can A Debt Collector Take My Stimulus Check
Child support, taxes, and other debts to the federal government are exempt from garnishment, but a private debt collector can try to take your stimulus payment. While previous rounds of aid prohibited debt collectors from garnishing stimulus payments, that protection was not included in this third round.
Congress may consider new, separate legislation to shield this round of payments from debt collectors.
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What’s New With The Child Tax Credit
The changes relating to an expanded Child Tax Credit won’t impact your 2020 tax return. But they will help in 2021.
The Child Tax Credit had offered a maximum of up to $2,000 per child. But under the new rules, a $3,600 child tax credit is available for newborns through 5-year-old children. And a $3,000 child tax credit is available for children ages 6 through 17.
Under current law, households with no income tax to offset are limited to $1,400 in refundability. But now the Child Tax Credit will be fully available and refundable to households with no income, unlike the Child Tax Credits current design, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation.
There are two phase-out levels based on income.
Parents can receive the full credit if their adjusted gross income is less than $75,000 if single, less than $150,000 if married filing joint or less than $112,500 for head of household filers.
After that, the credit is reduced to $2,000 per child.
Then the credit is phased out completely for parents with an adjusted gross income starting with $200,000 if single and $400,000 if married filing jointly.
Another plus: Families would not have to wait until next year when they file their 2021 federal income tax returns. Instead, they would be able to get checks of up to $300 per child per month beginning later in the second half of this year.
Contact Susan Tompor via . Follow her on Twitter tompor.
How To Opt Out Of Monthly Child Tax Credit
If you dont want these advance payments, youll have to go through a few steps to opt out. But its pretty simple really. The IRS set up a Child Tax Credit Update Portal for you to opt out and make any changes.
Dont worryeven though the first payment has already gone out, its not too late to opt out of the advance Child Tax Credit payment. Actually, you have the chance to opt out each month. Really! You just have to do it at least three days before the first Thursday of the month.8 So if you want to opt out in September, make sure to opt out by August 30, just to be safe.
Pro tip: If youre married and filing jointly, then both you and your spouse need to opt out of the Child Tax Credit.
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People Who Dont File A Tax Return
Question: What if I dont file a 2019 or 2020 tax return?
Answer: Some people dont file a tax return because their income doesnt reach the filing requirement threshold. If thats the case, the IRS will send a third stimulus check based on whatever information, if any, is available to it. That information potentially could come from the Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, or Veterans Administration if youre currently receiving benefits from one of those federal agencies. If thats the case, youll generally receive your third stimulus payment the same way that you get your regular benefits. If you supplied the IRS information last year through its online Non-Filers tool or by submitting a special simplified tax return, the tax agency can use that information, too.
Some people who receive a third stimulus check based on information from the SSA, RRB, or VA may still want to file a 2020 tax return even if they arent required to file to get an additional payment for a spouse or dependent.
Fourth Stimulus Check Of $850 Is Coming In June See Who Gets One
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The stimulus gods have rolled the dice again, and this time the lucky recipients live in the state of Maine. Residents there are in line for a relief check as soon as June, now that Gov. Janet Mills has signed a $1.2 billion budget into law.
Among other things, its features include funding for eligible individuals in Maine to get $850 checks, while the average household would get $1,700 in relief payments. In this post, well take a closer look at whos eligible for the payments. Which, by the way, are going out to around 858,000 people in the form of mailed paper checks .
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When Will The Third Stimulus Check Be Sent
The goal of Democrats was to pass the bill by this Sunday, March 14. That’s when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid expires.
With Biden signing the plan on Thursday, Democrats have met that goal.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced shortly after Biden signed the bill that the IRS and Treasury Department are working hard to get payments out. She said some people will see direct deposits hit their bank accounts as early as this weekend.
“This is of course just the first wave, but some people in he country will start seeing those direct deposits in their bank accounts this weekend and payments to eligible Americans will continue throughout the course of the next several weeks,” Psaki explained.
The IRS said Friday the payments were already being processed and concurred that direct deposits would start arriving this weekend.
During the first round of stimulus checks in April 2020, it took about two weeks for the federal government to start distributing the money. It took around one week for the second round of checks, worth $600, in early January partly because the infrastructure from the first stimulus was in place.
One factor that could complicate things is that this is also tax season. The IRS will be trying to send out stimulus checks while also processing incoming tax returns and calculating refunds.
Biden Signed Bill On Thursday $1400 Checks Coming To Most
Ken Haddad, Digital Special Projects
Associated Press
Congress has approved another round of stimulus checks to most Americans this month heres what you need to know.
A Congress riven along party lines approved a landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a triumph on a bill that marshals the governments spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation.
More: Biden signs $1.9T relief bill before speech to nation
The House gave final congressional approval to the sweeping package by a near party line 220-211 vote precisely seven weeks after Biden entered the White House and four days after the Senate passed the bill without a single Republican vote. GOP lawmakers opposed the package as bloated, crammed with liberal policies and heedless of signs the crises are easing.
Biden signed the bill on Thursday afternoon at the White House.
When could Americans start seeing payments?
President Biden signed the massive bill on Thursday, March 11, which means payments should begin in the coming days.
Based on the IRS timeframe from the last round of payments, payments could begin within a few days of passage. So payments should begin by early next week at the latest. The IRS has not confirmed a timeline.
The White House said on Thursday that some could see payments as early as this weekend.
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More $1400 Payments Go Out Automatically After Aarp Urges Irs Ssa To Prioritize Federal Beneficiaries
by John Waggoner, AARP, Updated May 6, 2021
En español | The IRS has sent a wave of pandemic stimulus checks to government retirees who normally dont file federal income taxes. Now the agency is sending payments to Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who dont normally file taxes. But the Social Security Administration says if you are a beneficiary and havent gotten your stimulus check, you need to file a 2020 tax return now to get any stimulus payments due to you.
To date, the IRS has delivered 164 million stimulus payments worth about $386 billion during the coronavirus relief mandated by the American Rescue Plan Act, which President Joe Biden signed on March 11.
Many low-income beneficiaries including recipients of Social Security retirement and disability benefits, as well as recipients of SSI benefits administered by the Social Security Administration arent required to file tax returns, and some of those payments were delayed. The IRS said it was waiting for updated information from the SSA on bank accounts and addresses of federal beneficiaries to ensure the stimulus payments reach eligible individuals.
AARP has pushed the IRS and the SSA to move more swiftly to get those checks to individuals who dont file federal income taxes.
On March 25 the SSA gave the IRS the updated information required to begin delivering stimulus checks to some 30 million federal beneficiaries still awaiting payments, Saul said.
What Happens If You Dont Receive Your Payment Or Only Receive A Partial Amount
If you havent received your payment yet, dont panic, although its easier said than done. Compared with the first round of stimulus checks, the IRS and Treasury Department have significantly shrunk the delivery timeline by weeks, if not months. However, the text of the American Relief Plan still gives both agencies until Dec. 31, 2021, to distribute all funds, meaning the last round of checks might not hit consumers mailboxes until January 2022.
Consider signing up for the U.S. Postal Services informed delivery service, so you know in advance of any mail youll be receiving on a given day. If the IRS says it already mailed your check but you didnt receive one, down the road you might also decide to order a stimulus check payment trace. You can arrange one by calling a hotline at the IRS or submitting a completed Form 3911, Taxpayer Statement Regarding Refund by mail or fax. But be prepared: This process can take weeks. The IRS may also ask that you sit tight for the time being in some cases, for a period as long as nine weeks.
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What Information Will You Need
To access the tool, youll be asked to provide a:
- Social Security Number or Individual Tax ID Number
- Date of birth
- Street address and
- Five-digit ZIP or postal code.
If you file a joint tax return, either spouse can typically access the portal by providing their own information for the security questions used to verify a taxpayers identity. Once verified, the same payment status is shown for both spouses. In some cases, however, married couples who file a joint tax return may get their third stimulus payment as two separate payments half may come as a direct deposit and the other half will be mailed to the address the IRS has on file. If that case, each spouse should check the Get My Payment tool separately using their own Social Security number to see the status of their payments.
If you submit information that doesnt match the IRSs records three times within a 24-hour period, youll be locked out of the portal for 24 hours . Youll also be locked out if youve already accessed the system five times within a 24-hour period. Dont contact the IRS if youre shut out. Instead, just wait 24 hours and try again.
Another Stimulus Check For $1400 Coming
This might sound like a contradiction of our previous estimation that a fourth stimulus check wont become a reality. This new payment that were referring to definitely counts as check #4, but and hear me out its also not really the kind of fourth check we were referring to. Lets just go ahead and call this one Schrodingers stimulus payment.
Lets also briefly talk about what we meant with our prediction. Were specifically referring to the potential of Congress approving a bill funding a new round of stimulus checks, along the lines of the first three .
The current child tax credit checks dont count, because they were already funded out of the March $1.9 trillion stimulus law. And because theyre really one-half of an advance payment of a 2022 tax credit. Meanwhile, there is another stimulus check coming for some of you in 2022, according to Fortune magazine. So, what gives?
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Won’t Some Families Be Shut Out
Yes, some families who make more money will see a small payout or no payout.
Roughly 6.5 million households that received money in the past now won’t be able to bank on receiving either the full $1,400 payment or even a partial payment when it comes to the latest Economic Impact Payments, according to estimates by the nonprofit, non-partisan Tax Foundation.
The stimulus programs always cut off some higher-income families, based on adjusted gross income. But the third program is more laser focused on income.
Singles earning $80,000 or more won’t get the third stimulus payout. Married couples earning $160,000 or more won’t get money, either.
How Long Will The Third Stimulus Check Take To Reach You
The American Rescue Plan directs Yellen to “rapidly” distribute the payments before a deadline of Dec. 31, 2021. But you’ll likely get paid well before then.
The best way to predict the third stimulus check drop date is probably to look to the past. The IRS was arguably caught off-guard last spring when the first round of direct payments passed. The CARES Act was signed March 27, but the IRS didn’t start sending deposits until the week of . The agency had to scramble to distribute the $1,200 payments, and rollout was turbulent.
Many of the glitches were corrected the second time around. The $600 stimulus check went out a lot faster: Then-President Donald Trump approved it Dec. 27, and the IRS began sending payments two days later. The official payment date was Jan. 4. By Feb. 16, some 147 million had been delivered.
This indicates the third stimulus check can, and will, reach people relatively quickly. Psaki told reporters that “a large number of Americans” can expect aid “by the end of the month.”
Of course, we’re also in the middle of tax season. The IRS will use information from your 2019 or 2020 tax return to calculate your stimulus check. Americans who make $75,000 or less, heads of household who make $112,500 or less, and couples who make $150,000 or less will receive $1,400 per person. Unlike in previous rounds, college students and adult dependents are eligible for the full payment.
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Can I Contact The Irs For Additional Help With My Taxes
While you could try calling the IRS to check your status, the agencys live phone assistance is extremely limited. You shouldnt file a second tax return or contact the IRS about the status of your return.
The IRS is directing people to the Let Us Help You page on its website for more information. It also advises taxpayers to get in-person help at Taxpayer Assistance Centers. You can contact your local IRS office or call to make an appointment: 844-545-5640. You can also contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service if youre eligible for assistance by calling them: 877-777-4778.
Though the chances of getting live assistance are slim, the IRS says you should only call the agency directly if its been 21 days or more since you filed your taxes online, or if the Wheres My Refund tool tells you to contact the IRS. You can call 800-829-1040 or 800-829-8374 during regular business hours.