Facing pressure from Senators and the general public, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS now say those who don’t typically file a tax return will not be required to file a simple return in order to receive their stimulus check. In a statement issued Wednesday night, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed no additional efforts will need to be made by those receiving Social Security benefits.
“Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return do not need to take an action, and will receive their payment directly to their bank account,” Mnuchin said.
The decision comes just two days after the Treasury and the IRS announced a simple return would be required by some low-income tax payers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, veterans and people with disabilities.
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In a letter sent to the Treasury Wednesday, 41 Senators urged the department to reconsider, citing the difficulty it would put on people who may not be able to fill out a simple return in the coming weeks.
“This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs during the COVID-19 crisis,” a portion of the letter read.
The Treasury says it will now use the information on the Form SSA-1099 and Form RRB-1099 to generate payments to Social Security recipients who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019.
“Recipients will receive these payments as a direct deposit or by paper check, just as they would normally receive their benefits,” reads the statement from the Treasury.
The checks are available as part of a $2.2 trillion rescue package approved last week by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump. Anyone who earned less than $75,000 in adjusted gross income and who has a Social Security number will receive $1,200 as part of the package. Couples who file together and don’t exceed $150,000 in adjusted gross income will receive $2,400. Families will also receive $500 for each child.
The amount on your check decreases as you earn more in your adjusted gross income. However, households earning more than $99,000, or $198,000 for joint filers, are not eligible to receive any of the funds. Checks are scheduled to begin going out in the next three weeks.
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