The economic impact payments being issued by the Treasury Department are estimated to be sent by the end of April 2020. The following article by Optima Tax Relief reviews the information taxpayers need to receive their payment.
The recent announcement by the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department regarding the issuance of COVID-19 relief checks indicated that payments would start to be sent by the end of April. The majority of eligible recipients will not be required to take any specific action, though citizens who generally do not file tax returns (and are neither Social Security recipients nor railroad retirees) will have to prepare and file a simple return in order to be eligible for their payment. Economic impact payments will be issued throughout 2020.
ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENT ELIGIBILITY
Payments will automatically be issued to filers who submitted a tax return for either the 2018 or 2019 tax years. The maximum amount for individuals is $1,200 and the maximum amount is $2,400 for couples filing jointly. Filers with qualifying children may also receive up to $500 per child.
Individual filers whose adjusted gross income is $75,000 or under, or married couples whose joint income is $150,000 or under are qualified to receive the entire benefit. However, filers with incomes exceeding those amounts may still qualify for relief – for every $100 above the maximum amount ($75,000 individual or $150,000 joint) $5 will be deducted from the total payment. Individual filers whose income is over $99,000 and married couples filing jointly making $198,000 or more are not eligible to receive a relief payment.
The payment amount is calculated based upon the information provided in either the 2019 or 2018 tax returns. Payments will be deposited directly into the bank account provided on the return. If no direct deposit information was provided, the U.S. Treasury will offer an online portal for recipients to provide their banking information if they want to receive their funds directly deposited into their accounts. Those who do not provide their banking information will receive a paper check.
ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT FILE TAX RETURNS
People who are not required to file a tax return, such as people receiving Social Security or who are railroad retirees, will still receive economic impact payments. The IRS will base payment calculations on the details provided on Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099. However, because these forms will not provide information regarding dependents, the maximum amount these filers will receive will be $1,200 per person.
For more information about economic impact payments, please visit IRS.gov.coronavirus.
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