- If you’re receiving SSI or VA benefits from the government, and you have children under 17, you have until tomorrow to file information to the IRS to make sure your family gets its full stimulus payment.
- Provided your income is below certain thresholds, you should receive $1,200 per individual or $2,400 per married couple, as well as $500 for each qualified child.
- Some who have used the non-filer tool complain that their dependents still weren’t included in their stimulus checks.
People who receive Supplemental Security Income or Department of Veterans Affairs benefits have just one more day to supply the federal government with information on any qualifying dependents who should be included in their stimulus payments.
Millions of stimulus payments are in the process of being deployed to Americans. That includes checks of up to $1,200 for individuals or $2,400 for married couples, plus $500 per child under 17, based on family income.
The government has said it will automatically send out checks to individuals receiving government benefits.
However, they may not have information on all of those people’s eligible dependents.
SI or VA beneficiaries have until tomorrow, Tuesday, May 5, to report that information on the recently launched web tool for non-filers.
This is the second such deadline for government beneficiaries. Social Security and Railroad Retirement beneficiaries previously had until April 22 to submit information on their children. Those people started receiving their payments last week, according to the IRS.
But some complaints have arisen among beneficiaries who, despite having supplied their information on the IRS non-filer tool and gotten confirmation that their entry was received, still received stimulus payments that excluded the $500 payments for their children.
Both Social Security beneficiaries and people who receive SSI or VA benefits have reported such experiences — even though the latter group still have until tomorrow to report their dependents.
The IRS guidance for individuals who are in that situation is that they will receive any additional stimulus money due to them when they file their 2020 tax return.
However, many individuals who rely solely on government benefits do not typically file tax returns, usually because they have little to no taxable income.
The IRS has been working overtime to get these payments to millions of Americans, said Nancy Altman, president of advocacy organization Social Security Works. Still, it’s frustrating for people who follow all the rules and still do not get their full amount, particularly if that means they will have to wait until next year to get the remaining balance, she said.
“Why set up these road blocks, these hurdles for them? Just send the money,” Altman said.
