Economic Impact Payments | TaxConnections

29 Apr 2021

2 Million More Economic Impact Payments Disbursed Under The American Rescue Plan

2 Million More Economic Impact Payments Disbursed Under The American Rescue Plan; Continuing Payments Reach Approximately 163 Million

The Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced they are disbursing nearly 2 million payments in the seventh batch of Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan.

Today’s announcement brings the total disbursed so far to approximately 163 million payments, with a total value of approximately $384 billion, since these payments began rolling out to Americans in batches as announced on March 12.

The seventh batch of payments began processing on Friday, April 23, with an official payment date of April 28, with some people receiving direct payments in their accounts earlier as provisional or pending deposits. Here is additional information on this batch of payments:

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments

08 Jan 2021

Why Millions Of Taxpayers Have Not Received 2nd Stimulus Check

California Assembly Bill AB-5 On Worker Status: Employees V Independent Contractors

Millions of taxpayers have not received their 2nd stimulus check who used online services. Their 2nd stimulus check may have been sent to the wrong bank account. The IRS apparently sent payments to more than thirteen million bank accounts that have been closed and are no longer valid.

The bank accounts were set up by tax companies like Turbo Tax, HR Block and Jackson Hewitt as temporary accounts used to deposit tax refunds for taxpayers who opted to have tax preparation fees taken out of their tax refunds. Furthermore, for taxpayers who used online tax services it may be too late to receive their $600 stimulus payment. The banks involved are required to send the payments received back to the IRS. Taxpayers who do not receive their 2nd round stimulus checks by the January 15, 2021 deadline will have to wait to receive their stimulus check as a tax credit when they file their 2020 tax return.

Go to the IRS Get My Payment link to see the status of your corona virus stimulus check.

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Written by TaxConnections Admin | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • Find A Tax Professional • Stimulus Checks From IRS

08 Jan 2021

Treasury Issues Millions Of Second Economic Impact Payments By Debit Card

Starting this week, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are sending approximately 8 million second Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) by prepaid debit card.

These EIP Cards follow the millions of payments already made by direct deposit and the ongoing mailing of paper checks that are delivering the second round of Economic Impact Payments as rapidly as possible.

For those who don’t receive a direct deposit, they should watch their mail for either a paper check or a prepaid debit card. To speed delivery of the payments to reach as many people as soon as possible the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service is sending payments out by prepaid debit card.

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • IRS Notice • TaxConnections

05 Jan 2021

IRS: Economic Impact Payments On Their Way

The Internal Revenue Service urged people to visit IRS.gov for the most current information on the second round of Economic Impact Payments rather than calling the agency or their financial institutions or tax software providers. IRS phone assistors do not have additional information beyond what’s available on IRS.gov.

The IRS and the Treasury Department began issuing a second round of Economic Impact Payments, often referred to as stimulus payments, last week.

The direct deposit payments may take several days to post to individual accounts. Some Americans may have seen the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional payments in their accounts before the scheduled payment date of January 4, 2021, which is the official date funds are available.

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • IRS Notice

30 Dec 2020

Treasury And IRS Begin Delivering Second Round Of Economic Impact Payments To Millions Of Americans

Today, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department will begin delivering a second round of Economic Impact Payments as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 to millions of Americans who received the first round of payments earlier this year.

The initial direct deposit payments may begin arriving as early as tonight for some and will continue into next week. Paper checks will begin to be mailed tomorrow, Wednesday, December 30.

The IRS emphasizes that there is no action required by eligible individuals to receive this second payment. Some Americans may see the direct deposit payments as pending or as provisional payments in their accounts before the official payment date of January 4, 2021. The IRS reminds taxpayers that the payments are automatic, and they should not contact their financial institutions or the IRS with payment timing questions.

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • Second Round

08 Oct 2020

IRS Extends Economic Impact Payment Deadline To Nov. 21 To Help Non-Filers

The Internal Revenue Service announced that the deadline to register for an Economic Impact Payment (EIP) is now November 21, 2020. This new date will provide an additional five weeks beyond the original deadline.

The IRS urges people who don’t typically file a tax return – and haven’t received an Economic Impact Payment – to register as quickly as possible using the Non-Filers: Enter Info Here tool on IRS.gov. The tool will not be available after November 21.

“We took this step to provide more time for those who have not yet received a payment to register to get their money, including those in low-income and underserved communities,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “The IRS is deeply involved in processing and programming that overlaps filing seasons. Any further extension beyond November would adversely impact our work on the 2020 and 2021 filing seasons. The Non-Filers portal has been available since the spring and has been used successfully by many millions of Americans.”

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments

07 Aug 2020

Recovery Rebate Fix Needed By Congress To Not Encourage MFS Filing Status

The CARES Act enacted March 27, 2020 included the 2020 recovery rebate for individuals that provided over 160 million adults with $1,200 to help them with financial challenges during the pandemic (see GAO data). The IRS refers to this payment as the Economic Impact Payment (EIP) and as of(8/1/20) has provided 70 FAQs to help explain it! The provision added Section 6428 to the Internal Revenue Code.

I was surprised by FAQ 26 and its answer because I would think that if for a married couple one spouse has an SSN and the other has an ITIN which disqualifies that spouse for an EIP, the spouse with the SSN would still have been given $1,200. But that will only happen if they file as Married Filing Separately rather than as Married Filing Jointly.

Q26. I filed a joint return with my spouse. Will we receive a Payment if I have a valid SSN and my spouse has an IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)?

A26. No, when spouses file jointly, both spouses must have valid SSNs to receive a Payment with one exception. If either spouse is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the taxable year, only one spouse needs to have a valid SSN.
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Written by Annette Nellen | Posted in CARES ACT • Economic Impact Payments

17 Jun 2020

IRS Alert: Economic Impact Payments Belong To Recipient, Not Nursing Homes Or Care Facilities

The Internal Revenue Service alerted nursing home and other care facilities that Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) generally belong to the recipients, not the organizations providing the care.

The IRS issued this reminder following concerns that people and businesses may be taking advantage of vulnerable populations who received the Economic Impact Payments.
The payments are intended for the recipients, even if a nursing home or other facility or provider receives the person’s payment, either directly or indirectly by direct deposit or check. These payments do not count as a resource for purposes of determining eligibility for Medicaid and other federal programs for a period of 12 months from receipt. They also do not count as income in determining eligibility for these programs.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has issued FAQs on this issue, including how representative payees should handle administering the payments for the recipient. SSA has noted that under the Social Security Act, a representative payee is only responsible for managing Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. An EIP is not such a benefit; the EIP belongs to the Social Security or SSI beneficiary. A representative payee should discuss the EIP with the beneficiary. If the beneficiary wants to use the EIP independently, the representative payee should provide the EIP to the beneficiary.
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Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments

19 May 2020

IRS Adds Phone Operators To Answer Economic Impact Payment Questions

The Internal Revenue Service is starting to add 3,500 telephone representatives to answer some of the most common questions about Economic Impact Payments.IRS telephone assistance and other services will remain limited, and answers for most of the common questions related to Economic Impact Payments are available on IRS.gov. The IRS anticipates bringing back additional assistors as state and local advisories permit.

Answers for most Economic Impact Payment questions are available on the automated message for people who call the phone number provided in the letter (Notice 1444). Those who need additional assistance at the conclusion of the message will have the option of talking to a telephone representative.
Americans are encouraged to use IRS.gov.

The IRS regularly posts new and updated answers to the most frequently asked questions about Economic Impact Payments and the Get My Payment tool. Those who wish to know the status of their Economic Impact Payment are reminded to check Get My Payment regularly; the information is frequently updated as the IRS continues to process the remaining payments for delivery.
For those who are eligible for an Economic Impact Payment but aren’t required to file a tax return, the IRS reminds them the Non-Filers tool also remains available in English or Spanish for them to register for a payment.

IR-2020-97

Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • IRS

15 May 2020

How To Return An Incorrectly Received Stimulus Check

How to return an economic stimulus payment

By way of background, the IRS is issuing checks/direct deposits to most US taxpayers who have an SSN, if your income was less than $75,000, you would get $1,200 and another $500 per dependent.
Interestingly enough, US citizens living overseas are eligible.

You can find more details here.

As the IRS focused on relative speed, millions of stimulus payments have already been sent in error. The IRS confirmed it on May 6, along with guidelines to return it. Stimulus payments made by mistake have been issued to, among others, non-resident aliens, detainees, and deceased taxpayers. The IRS is now asking these recipients, or their family members, to return the money.

If one of these situations might apply to you, first check the following:

Your income in 2020 exceeds the income threshold – no mistake. No need to pay it back; The CARE act based taxpayers’ eligibility on their 2018 or 2019 income level.
You renounced US citizenship or surrendered a green card in 2019. The IRS issued a stimulus payment based on the information on your 2018 tax return – this payment is a mistake. You have to return it.
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Written by Olivier Wagner | Posted in Economic Impact Payments

16 Apr 2020

Supplemental Security Income Recipients Will Receive Automatic Economic Impact Payments

The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with the Treasury Department and the Social Security Administration, announced today that recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will automatically receive automatic Economic Impact Payments.

SSI recipients will receive a $1,200 Economic Impact Payment with no further action needed on their part. The IRS projects the payments for this group will go out no later than early May.
Moving SSI recipients into the automatic payment category follows weeks of extensive cooperative work between SSA, Treasury, IRS as well as the Bureau of Fiscal Services.
“Since SSI recipients typically aren’t required to file tax returns, the IRS had to work extensively with these other government agencies to determine a way to quickly and accurately deliver Economic Impact Payments to this group,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Additional programming work remains, but this step simplifies the process for SSI recipients to quickly and easily receive these $1,200 payments automatically. We appreciate the assistance of SSA and the Bureau of Fiscal Services in this effort.”
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Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments • Social Security Income • TaxConnections

15 Apr 2020

Here’s How Much Individuals Will Get From The Economic Impact Payments

Employed full or part time? Unemployed? A temporary or gig worker? Retired or disabled? Receive public benefits? Have no income? Most U.S. residents – under certain income levels – will receive the Economic Impact Payment if they are not claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer and have a Social Security number.

Here’s how much the payments will be:

-Eligible individuals will receive up to $1,200.
-Eligible married couples will receive up to $2,400.
-Eligible individuals will receive up to $500 for each qualifying child.

Taxpayers will receive a reduced payment if their adjusted gross income is between:
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Written by IRS | Posted in Economic Impact Payments