Yesterday, the IRS issued a special alert for folks receiving Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits (SSDI), Railroad Retirement benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Administration benefits. Social Security retirement, survivor, or disability recipients and Railroad Retirement recipients must act by noon this Wednesday, April 22, if they didn’t file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and have dependents, in order to register to have $500 per eligible child added automatically to their soon-to-be-received $1,200 Economic Impact Payment. Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans Affairs benefits have slightly more time as their payments will be made later.
$1,200 payments will be issued soon and, in order to add the $500 per eligible child amount to these payments, the IRS needs the dependent information before the payments are issued. Otherwise, their payment at this time will be $1,200 and, by law, the additional $500 per eligible child amount would be paid in association with a return filing for tax year 2020.
Both groups are urged to use the Non-Filer tool as soon as possible. Click here for additional information and guidance regarding Economic Impact Payments.