IRS Reaches Out to Americans Who Didn't Get Stimulus Payments

The Internal Revenue Service plans to start mailing letters to roughly 9 million Americans reminding them to register by Oct. 15 in order to receive their Economic Impact Payment under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The IRS will begin sending the letters around Sept. 24 to those who haven’t filed a return for either 2018 or 2019 but who may be eligible for the payments.

The letters will urge recipients to register at IRS.gov to receive their payment by the end of the year.

Individuals can receive up to $1,200, and married couples can receive up to $2,400. People with qualifying children under age 17 at the end of 2019 can get up to an additional $500 for each qualifying child.

“Based on an internal analysis, these are people 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 available to the IRS,” the agency explains.

However, many in this group are still eligible to receive an Economic Impact Payment, according to the IRS.

“The IRS has made an unprecedented outreach effort to make sure people are aware of their potential eligibility for an Economic Impact Payment this year,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a statement. “Millions who don’t normally file a tax return have already registered and received a payment. We are taking this extra step to help Americans who may not know they could be eligible for this payment or don’t know how to register for one. People who aren’t required to file a tax return can quickly register on IRS.gov and still get their money this year.”

The letter, IRS Notice 1444-A, is written in English and Spanish and includes information on eligibility criteria and how eligible recipients can claim an Economic Impact Payment on IRS.gov.

— Check out Mnuchin Says Stimulus Hopes Aren’t Dead; House Inquiry Flags PPP Loan Abuses on ThinkAdvisor.