Irs Sending Letters To Over 9 Million Potentially Eligible Families Who Did Not Claim Stimulus Payments Eitc Child Tax Credit And Other Benefits Free File To Stay Open Until Nov 17
IR-2022-178, October 13, 2022
WASHINGTON Starting this week, the Internal Revenue Service is sending letters to more than 9 million individuals and families who appear to qualify for a variety of key tax benefits but did not claim them by filing a 2021 federal income tax return. Many in this group may be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits depending on their personal and family situation.
The special reminder letters, which will be arriving in mailboxes over the next few weeks, are being sent to people who appear to qualify for the Child Tax Credit , Recovery Rebate Credit or Earned Income Tax Credit but haven’t yet filed a 2021 return to claim them. The letter, printed in both English and Spanish, provides a brief overview of each of these three credits.
“The IRS wants to remind potentially eligible people, especially families, that they may qualify for these valuable tax credits,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “We encourage people who haven’t filed a tax return yet for 2021 to review these options. Even if they aren’t required to file a tax return, they may still qualify for several important credits. We don’t want people to overlook these tax credits, and the letters will remind people of their potential eligibility and steps they can take.”
Why Did I Receive Irs Letter 6475
According to the IRS, Economic Impact Payment letters include important information that can help you quickly and accurately file your tax return, including the total amount sent in your third stimulus payment.
This could include “plus-up” payments, the additional funds the IRS sent to people who were eligible for a larger amount based on their 2019 or 2020 tax returns, or information received from the Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs or the Railroad Retirement Board.
Even though it is not taxable income, you still need to report any stimulus money on your IRS return. In 2020, the IRS received over 10 million returns that incorrectly reported stimulus money, according to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Retting, resulting in manual reviews and significant refund delays.
You may have already received a Letter 1444-C, which showed the amount you were paid and how it was delivered, but that’s not what you want to use to prepare your 2021 return.
The Third Round Of Stimulus Checks
The most recent checks were included in the American Rescue Plan, which was enacted on March 11, 2021. Eligible individuals will receive a payment of $1,400 , plus an additional $1,400 per eligible child. However, those payments phase out quickly for incomes above $75,000 for single taxpayers, above $112,500 for taxpayers filing as head of household, and above $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. Taxpayers would be ineligible for any payment, unless they have a qualifying child, above the following income levels:
- $80,000 for single taxpayers
- $120,000 for taxpayers filing as head of household
- $160,000 for married couples filing jointly
Similar to previous iterations of the payments, most taxpayers will receive the funds by direct deposit. For Social Security and other beneficiaries who received previous payments via debit card, they will receive this third payment the same way. Overall, such payments are expect to cost $411 billion through 2030 according to the Congressional Budget Office.
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Where Is My Third Stimulus Check
You can track the status of your third stimulus check by using the IRS Get My Payment tool, available in English and Spanish. You can see whether your third stimulus check has been issued and whether your payment type is direct deposit or mail.
When you use the IRS Get My Payment tool, you will get one of the following messages:
Payment Status, which means:
- A payment has been processed. You will be shown a payment date and whether the payment type is direct deposit or mail or
- Youre eligible, but a payment has not been processed and a payment date is not available.
Payment Status Not Available, which means:
- Your payment has not been processed or
- Youre not eligible for a payment.
Need More Information, which means:
- Your payment was returned to the IRS because the post office was unable to deliver it. If this message is displayed, you will have a chance to enter your banking information and receive your payment as a direct deposit. Otherwise, you will need to update your address before the IRS can send you your payment.
What Are The Phaseout Limits For The Stimulus Payments
The phaseout limits for EIP1 are as follows:
- Single Filers and : If your AGI is above $75,000 as a single filer, the stimulus relief starts phasing out. The relief phases out completely once AGI exceeds $99,000.
- Heads of Household: Your stimulus amount starts phasing out when your income goes over $112,500, and the stimulus amount hits $0 when AGI exceeds $136,500.
- and Qualifying Widow: For married couples filing jointly, the phaseout begins at $150,000 and ends when AGI exceeds $198,000.
- Qualifying Children: If you have qualifying children, your total phaseout amount will increase by $10,000 for each qualifying child.
- For example, a head-of-household filer with two children would phase out completely at $156,500 instead of $136,500, and a married couple filing jointly would phase out at $218,000 instead of $198,000.
- The math works out because each qualifying child gets you an additional stimulus amount .
For each status, the stimulus phases out at a rate of 5% of the excess income over the limit .
Below are the phaseout limits for EIP2:
The phaseout rate is the same for EIP2: 5% of the excess income over the limit.
Finally, here are the limits for EIP3:
Each status has a different rate of phasing out per dollar, but in general the rate for each is simpler: If your income is halfway between the beginning phaseout amount and the total phaseout amount, youll get half as much of the total stimulus payment.
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Over 9m Potentially Eligible For Unclaimed Stimulus Payments Tax Credits: Irs
WASHINGTON – The IRS is sending letters starting this week to more than 9 million potentially eligible families and individuals for unclaimed tax credits and stimulus payments.
The agency says the letters are going to those who appear to qualify for a variety of key tax benefits but did not claim them by filing a 2021 federal income tax return.
Many may be eligible to claim some or all of the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits depending on their personal and family situation.
How do I claim the credits?
The IRS says the only way to get the benefits is to file a 2021 tax return.
For this mailing, the IRS says it identified those who don’t typically have a tax return filing requirement because they appear to have very low incomes, based on Forms W-2, 1099s and other third-party statements.
The letters are similar to a special IRS mailing made in September 2020 encouraging 9 million potential non-filers to submit a tax return for the first Economic Impact Payment.
People can file a tax return even if they havent yet received their letter. Theres no penalty for a refund claimed on a tax return filed after the regular April 2022 tax deadline, says the IRS. The fastest and easiest way to get a refund is to file an accurate return electronically and choose direct deposit.
Should I Keep Letter 6475 After I File My Taxes
You should always save tax return-related documents, says , chief tax information officer at Jackson Hewitt: W-2s, interest statements and IRS letters are a good record of your account “in case anything comes along in the next two or three years,” he says.
The IRS also advises keeping all documents related to income, deductions, credits and other tax items for at least three years.
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Is There A Deadline To Get My Third Stimulus Check
If you will be filing a full tax return, you have until the IRS closes their tax filing software on November 20, 2021. After this date, you can still claim the third stimulus check in 2022 by filing your taxes for Tax Year 2021.
If youre not required to file taxes, the deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021. You can get the Recovery Rebate Credit using GetCTC.org, a simplified tax filing portal for non-filers. GetCTC is an IRS-approved service created by Code for America in partnership with the White House and U.S. Department of Treasury. You can use the portal even if youre not signing up for the Child Tax Credit advance payments.
If I Owe Someone Money Can They Take My Stimulus Checks
Maybe. Anyone filing a 2020 or 2021 income tax return to claim stimulus checks will receive the money as a tax refund. Stimulus checks should not be kept by the IRS for back tax debt.
If you owe a debt to a different federal or state agency your tax refund could be taken by that agency before you get it. This is sometimes called a garnishment or offset
If you have a question about a garnishment or offset for a student loan debt, a debt related to public benefits , or a federal tax debt you can .
What should I do if I didnt get the full amount I am owed or if I have another problem with my Stimulus Checks?
If you didnt get your stimulus checks, even after filing your 2020 and 2021 tax returns, or if you have another problem with your Stimulus Checks you can . We may be able to help.
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Second Stimulus Checks & Us Expats: What You Should Know
Q. What was the second stimulus check?
A. The second stimulus check was part of a December 2020 government relief package to provide financial relief to Americans during the pandemic. The relief package included $600 direct payments to each person with a Social Security Number who cannot be claimed as a dependent and earned under a certain amount of income. It also included up to $600 payments for each qualifying child under age 17.
Q. Did I get a second stimulus check if Im an American living overseas?
A. Yes, expats qualified for the second stimulus check. You qualified if you fall within the income threshold, have a social security number, and file taxes even if you live overseas.
Q. Did I need to sign up for it or sign off on it?
A. Most people didnt need to do anything to receive the second stimulus because the IRS based the payments off of 2019 tax returns. If you didnt file a 2019 return, you may be able to claim it on your 2020 tax return as a Recovery Rebate Credit.
Q. If I live abroad, when should I have gotten my second stimulus check if I qualified?
A. All of the second stimulus payments have gone out. Most people got a direct deposit.
Can I Claim A Stimulus Check For Someone Who Is Deceased
Yes. For the third stimulus check, people who have died on or after January 1, 2021, are eligible to receive the third stimulus check. However, for married military couples, the date of eligibility is expanded. If the person who died was a member of the military and died before January 1, 2021, the surviving spouse can still receive the third stimulus check, even if they dont have an SSN.
For the first and second stimulus check, the IRS has stated that people who died on or after January 1, 2020, are eligible to receive both payments.
If they didnt receive the stimulus payments or didnt receive the full amounts that they are eligible for, spouses or other family members can file a 2020 federal tax return and claim it as part of their tax refund or use GetCTC.org if they dont have a filing requirement. The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021.
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Find Out Which Payments You Received
To find the amounts of your Economic Impact Payments, check:
Your Online Account: Securely access your individual IRS account online to view the total of your first, second and third Economic Impact Payment amounts under the Economic Impact Payment Information section on the Tax Records page.
IRS EIP Notices: We mailed these notices to the address we have on file.
- Notice 1444: Shows the first Economic Impact Payment sent for tax year 2020
- Notice 1444-B: Shows the second Economic Impact Payment sent for tax year 2020
- Notice 1444-C: Shows the third Economic Impact Payment sent for tax year 2021
Letter 6475: Through March 2022, we’ll send this letter confirming the total amount of the third Economic Impact Payment and any plus-up payments you received for tax year 2021.
You will need the total payment information from your online account or your letter to accurately calculate your Recovery Rebate Credit. For married filing joint individuals, each spouse will need to log into their own online account or review their own letter for their half of the total payment.
Amount Based On 2019 Or 2020 Tax Return
For third-round stimulus payments, eligibility and amounts were based on either your 2019 or 2020 return. If your 2020 tax return wasn’t filed and processed by the IRS by the time the tax agency started processing your third stimulus payment, then the IRS used information from your 2019 tax return. If your 2020 return was already filed and processed when the IRS was ready to send your payment, then your stimulus check eligibility and amount was based on the information on your 2020 return. If your 2020 return was filed and/or processed after the IRS sent you a third stimulus check, but before December 1, 2021, the IRS sent you a second “plus-up” payment for the difference between what your payment should have been if based on your 2020 return and the payment actually sent based on your 2019 return. As a result, your third stimulus check may have been higher or lower depending on when you filed your 2020 tax return.
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Free File To Stay Open Until Nov 17
To help people claim these benefits, without charge, Free File will remain open for an extra month this year, until November 17, 2022. Available only at IRS.gov/FreeFile, Free File enables people whose incomes are $73,000 or less to file a return online for free using brand-name software. Free File is sponsored by the Free File Alliance, a partnership between the IRS and the tax-software industry.
People can also visit ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to file a 2021 income tax return. Individuals whose incomes are below $12,500 and couples whose incomes are below $25,000 may be able to file a simple tax return to claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Creditwhich covers any stimulus payment amounts from 2021 they may have missedand the Child Tax Credit. Individuals do not need to have children in order to use ChildTaxCredit.gov/file to find the right filing solution for them.
Who Qualifies For An Eip3
As with EIP2, U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or qualifying resident aliens who are not claimed as dependents on another taxpayers return generally qualify for EIP3. Married couples filing jointly with only one SSN can qualify too, but only the spouse with the valid SSN will qualify for a stimulus payment . For example, a married couple with two kids would qualify for up to $4,200 if only one spouse has an SSN.
Nonresident aliens, adult dependents, deceased taxpayers before 2020, and individuals without an SSN will not qualify for EIP3.
A missing EIP3 can be claimed when you file your taxes via the Recovery Rebate Credit.
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More Money For Certain Families
One big change with third stimulus checks was that an extra $1,400 was tacked on to your payment for any dependent in the family. For the first- and second-round payments, the additional amount allowed $500 for first-round payments and $600 in the second round was only given for dependent children age 16 or younger. As a result, families with older children, including college students age 23 or younger, or with elderly parents living with them, didn’t get the extra money added to their previous stimulus payments. That’s not the case for third-round stimulus checks.
First Round Of Cares Act Stimulus Checks: What Expats Should Know
Q. What did the CARES Act 2020 Coronavirus stimulus check mean for U.S. expats?
A. The CARES Act stimulus check expats got in 2020 was technically a 2020 tax credit in advance.
It was part of the CARES Act Coronavirus stimulus package, which was designed to help get the economy back on its feet while we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In it are a variety of benefits for both individuals and corporations to ease the financial burden of the shutdowns and shelter-in-place orders. For the average American, the main benefits are cash payments and a variety of other debt relief options. The amount each taxpayer got depends on a variety of factors.
Q. Did I qualify for a CARES Act stimulus check if I live overseas?
A. Yes, expats qualified for the CARES Act stimulus checks. You qualified if you fell within the income threshold, had a social security number, and filed taxes even if you lived overseas. If you didnt get it, you can still apply for it retroactively as a tax credit on your 2020 tax return.
Q. What is the Recovery Rebate Credit?
A. If you didnt get the full amount you were owed, you may be able to apply for the Recovery Rebate Credit. Any eligible individual who did not receive the full amount of the recovery rebate as an advance payment, also known as an Economic Impact Payment, can claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on a 2020 Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR.
Q. How much was the CARES Act stimulus check for?
Q. Did I have to pay back the amount I got?
A. No
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