Top #10 most important things to know about the Economic Impact Payment Information Center

by Mounica Kota | May 27, 2020 | 1040-NR, 1040-SS, AGI, COVID - 19, Economic Impact Payment, federal government, Form 1040, Tax Payers

Top #10 most important things to know about the Economic Impact Payment Information Center

Under the provisions of the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act of the Federal Government, the citizens in the US have been receiving their Economic Impact Payments (EIP). The Economic Impact Payment which is being received by the Americans is calculated automatically by the IRS.

However, there are many Americans, who have several queries related to the Economic Impact Payments such as their eligibility, amount of payments, by when to expect the EIP, etc. The answers to these queries related to the Economic Impact Payments can be obtained by the common people at the Economic Impact Payment Information Center.

Some of the major things which Americans must know about the EIP Information Center can be listed below.

Eligibility for Economic Impact payment
Request for EIP
Calculation of EIP
Receipt of EIP
Non-Filer Tool
Social Security
Railroad retirement
Recipients of the Department of Veteran Affairs benefit
Additional Information
Return of EIP

Americans Must Know About The EIP Information Center

a.Eligibility for Economic Impact Payment

1.US citizens and US resident aliens who are filing tax returns as individuals or heads of households will be eligible for receiving EIP of $1200 whereas those who are married and are filing returns jointly would receive an EIP of $2400.

2. To receive EIP the taxpayers must not be the dependent of another taxpayer, should be having a valid Social Security Number and their AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) must be up to the given limits

For single individuals or married couples but filing tax returns jointly, the AGI should be up to $75000.
For those taxpayers who are filing tax returns as head of household filers, the AGI should be up to $112,500.
For taxpayers who are married and are filing their tax returns jointly, the AGI must be up to $150,000.

3. In case, an individual does not have a valid Social Security Number, is a non-resident alien or has filed Form 1040-NR, Form 1040NR-EZ, Form 1040-PR or Form 1040-SS for the year 2019 will not be eligible to obtain the EIP.

b.Request for EIP

If an individual has already filed the tax returns for 2018 or 2019, then there is nothing more to be done for receiving the EIP.
The IRS would use the information of the 2019 tax returns for calculation of the EIP or would use the information of 2018 in case of non-filing of the 2019 returns.
Taxpayers who have not filed returns for 2019 or 2018 can visit the IRS website and input their payment information in the link provided for Non-filers.

c.Calculation of EIP

Individuals who are eligible for receiving EIP and are filing tax returns with a single status would receive $1200 as the EIP.
If two individuals are filing their tax returns jointly, they are eligible to obtain an EIP of $2400.
The eligible individuals would receive an additional $500 for each qualifying child who has been claimed during the filing of tax returns.

d.Receipt of EIP

If an individual has received his tax refund for the year 2019 or the year 2018 in case of non-filing in 2019 by the method of Direct Deposit, then the IRS would use the latest information ad send your EIP by Direct Deposit.
Moreover, in case of non-receipt of EIP through Direct Deposit the IRS would send the EIP to the mailing address present in the file of the IRS.

e.Non-filer Tool

The Non-Filer: Enter Payment Info Here tool should be used for receiving EIP by those eligible individuals who have not filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 and do not receive Social Security Retirement, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Survivor Benefits, Veteran benefits or any other benefits related to Railroad retirement.
If you have filed your tax returns or you receive federal benefits, then the need for using the Non-filer tool is ruled out.

f.Social Security

The Social Security recipients who might not have filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 but receive Form SSA-1099 will receive their EIP by the same method as that of the receipt of the Social Security Benefit.

g.Railroad Retirement

The recipients of Rail Road Retirement who might not have filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 but receive the benefits by RRB-1099 will receive their EIP by the same method as that of the receipt of the Rail Road Retirement Benefit.

h.Recipients of the Department of Veteran Affairs benefit

The recipients of the Department of Veteran Affairs Benefit who might not have filed tax returns for 2019 or 2018 but receive Form SSA-1099 or RRB-1099 will receive their EIP by the same method as that of the receipt of the benefit.

i.Additional Information

Taxpayers need to be cautious about scam artists who would try to use the EIP as a strategy for performing other scams related to stealing. Taxpayers must remember that information about EIP can be obtained only by visiting the official IRS webpage and not by any calls, text, or emails.

j.Return of EIP

For the return of EIP which was in the form of Direct Deposit, check, or money order; money order or personal check must be immediately sent to the IRS with information related to the SSN.
If the payment was received in the form of a paper check, then it can be sent back to the appropriate section of the IRS by writing “Void” on the back of the check.

Hence, taxpayers can avoid calling up IRS for queries related to the EIP and rather visit the Economic Impact Payment Information center for resolving their queries.

References

How does the coronavirus stimulus package help the NRIs in the US?

by Mounica Kota | May 18, 2020 | AGI, CARES, coronavirus, COVID - 19, IRS, US Government

How does the coronavirus stimulus package help the NRIs in the US?

The US Government has passed and signed a $2 trillion coronavirus bill otherwise known as the CARES Act. This is one of the largest emergency aid packages in the history of the country which has led to most of the taxpayers in the country receiving stimulus checks. These stimulus checks have helped in reducing the plight of the coronavirus affected Americans up to some level.

Along with the provision of all Americans receiving stimulus checks, this bill also includes $500 billion as loans for the struggling businesses, $150 billion for the local and state governments, $377 billion as grants for small businesses and $130 billion for the hospitals which are dealing with a very difficult situation as of now. To date, the IRS has sent around 140 million stimulus checks to the Americans who qualify for receiving the package.

Eligibility for receiving the Stimulus package

Major Queries

One of the major queries troubling the minds of the common people is what are the qualifying criteria for obtaining the Stimulus package? Are the NRIs living in the US eligible to obtain the Stimulus package or not?

All the US residents qualify to receive the Stimulus package as long as they possess a work-eligible Social Security Number (SSN) and can meet the income specific requirements.

a. The IRS will be determining the eligibility of an individual for the Stimulus package based on his adjusted gross income (AGI) on his 2019 tax return or 2018 tax return if not filed for 2019 yet.

b.The residents of the country who are filing their tax returns as individuals and have an AGI less than $75,000 would receive an amount of $1200 whereas residents who are married and are filing their tax returns jointly having an AGI less than $150,000 would receive an amount of $2400 as Stimulus payment.

c.An additional amount of $500 can be claimed for each dependent child who is below the age of 17 years, has been claimed in the tax returns of 2019 or 2018, and satisfies the other qualifying criterion.

d.Residents of the US who have nontaxable income such as Social Security benefits or Railroad benefits, etc. also qualify for receiving the Stimulus payment. These individuals do not need to file tax returns for obtaining Stimulus payment.

e.Residents filing tax returns as singles and having an AGI in between $75,000 and $99,000 would have their stimulus amount reduced by $5 for each $100 increase in the AGI above $75,000. Similarly, for married couples who have filed their returns jointly and have an AGI above $150,000 will have a reduction of $5 in their stimulus amount for every $100 increase in the AGI above $150,000.

Use of the Stimulus payment by NRIs in the US

a. The usefulness of the Stimulus payment obtained by the NRIs in the US depends upon various scenarios.

With the impact of the dreadful COVID-19 spreading rapidly across the US, many Americans have lost their jobs and livelihood. Businesses are being closed down and millions of workers across the country have become jobless. The Stimulus package announced by the Federal Government would include a weekly pay boost of $600 which is funded federally for the unemployed along with the regular State unemployment benefits.

However, for the NRIs in the US, there are no provisions to avail of the general state unemployment credit. So, if an NRI in the US loses his job during this pandemic it is difficult for him to manage his finances in the lockdown. The Stimulus package would be the savior for the NRIs at this point and can be used to meet the various financial needs.

b.In case an NRI in the US is into a profession where he would not be able to work from home during the corona times. NRI workers/employees from several industries such as Non-IT, retail, hospitality, restaurants, live entertainment, nightlife, etc. cannot perform their operations from home and thus, experience a partial or complete layoff from work. This would affect the livelihood and finances of the NRIs and the Stimulus checks can be used at this instance.

c.Moreover, since the pandemic COVID-19 is spreading widely across the country; an NRI might experience the situation of his family member or close relative being affected by the disease. In such a scenario, for availing the medical facilities good financial backup is necessary. The amount received by NRIs through the Stimulus package can be utilized for availing good medical facilities for their family members

References

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/01/whos-eligible-for-covid-19-stimulus-checks-your-questions-answered.htm

lhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/04/28/real-stories-of-filing-for-unemployment-during-covid-19/#7b11b36715dd

https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/03/25/what-you-need-to-know-about-expanded-unemployment-benefits-for-covid-19/#3e56a0436e4a

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-03-27/who-qualifies-for-the-stimulus

All you need to know about Stimulus Payment

by Mounica Kota | Apr 13, 2020 | AGI, COVID - 19, federal government, SSA 1099, Stimulus payment

All you need to know about Stimulus Payment

The US President has signed a relief package of $2 trillion known as the Stimulus package which intends to provide relief to individuals and businesses that have been financially hit due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This Stimulus package would include sending of stimulus checks to most of the Americans, paid sick leave, unemployment benefits, student debt relief for a temporary period, etc. to alleviate the impact caused by the COVID-19.

Eligibility to obtain Stimulus payment

Mostly, all Americans would qualify to obtain some amount of money in the form of Stimulus payment. To obtain Stimulus payment, an individual should be having your Social Security Number and should not be dependent of someone else.

a.Individuals with a single filing status and having an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or less would receive the full Stimulus payment of $1200.

When the AGI is above $75,000 then the Stimulus payment would reduce by $5 for every $100 income above $75,000. If an individual is earning more than $99,000 in a year then he is not eligible to obtain Stimulus payment.

b.Married couples who have an AGI of $150,000 or less are eligible to obtain the Stimulus payment. This payment would be $2400 for the married couples. If a couple has an AGI which is more than $150,000 and up to $198, 000 then the Stimulus payment reduces by $5 for every $100 rise in income above $150,000. Those couples who have an AGI of more than $198,000 are not eligible for obtaining Stimulus payment.

c.Those filers who are classified as ‘Head of Household’ and have an AGI of up to $112,500 are eligible to obtain Stimulus payment of $1200. If the ‘Head of Household’ filers has an AGI of up to $136,500 then reduced Stimulus payment would be available in those cases. Also, those ‘Head of Household’ filers who earn more than $136,500 is not eligible for obtaining Stimulus payment.

d.If you have children who are below the age of 17 years then you can receive an extra $500 for each child as the Stimulus payment.

Furthermore, according to an announcement made by the Treasury Department on 1st April 2020 those individuals who are on Social Security do not need to file a tax return for obtaining their Stimulus payment. Their Stimulus payment would be generated by reference to their Form SSA-1099 and Form RRB-1099. This is applicable for the senior citizens, railroad retirees and Social security recipients who do not file tax returns otherwise.However, if an individual is not on Social Security and does not have any income then he needs to file tax returns for obtaining Stimulus payment.

How to obtain the Stimulus payment?

Mostly, there is nothing much to be done by individuals for obtaining the Stimulus payment. If an individual has already filed his tax returns for 2019, then the Federal Government can easily calculate the Stimulus payment and send it. But, those individuals who have not filed their Income tax returns for 2019 must do it immediately to obtain the accurate Stimulus payment. In case, if an individual does not file his tax return for 2019 then the IRS would use the 2018 AGI for determination of the payment which must be done as Stimulus payment.

Retirees can receive their Stimulus payment in the same way as they receive their Social security benefits i.e. by referring to Form SSA-1099. If an individual does have to file a tax return and does not receive Social Security benefits as well, then he can obtain his Stimulus payment by using the ‘Tax Act’s Stimulus Registration’. This can be used to file the Stimulus only return for submission of the necessary information.

How and by when the Stimulus payment would be received?

The Federal Government would send the Stimulus payment to the individuals by direct deposits. This would make the process faster. However, for those taxpayers who do not have the direct deposit option, the payment would be done by sending paper checks. The Government has started the Stimulus payments on 11th April 2020. According to the latest information, around 80 million payments have been already initiated and the process is going on in full fledge.

Additional information on Stimulus payment

The Stimulus payment received by individuals an advance refund or refundable credit based on the income of 2020 and is not taxable.
The Stimulus payment will not affect an individual’s refund for 2019 or the anticipated refund for 2020. Moreover, the IRS guidelines also ensure that even if an individual has obtained more Stimulus payment than the amount he qualifies based on his 2020 return he will not have to pay back any money.
If an individual has filed his 2019 return without using a direct deposit, he can use the web portal ‘Get My Payment’ to update the direct deposit information for obtaining Stimulus payment.

Hence, in these times of distress caused by the COVID-19 the Stimulus payments or otherwise known as Economic Impact Payments are sure to work as a support for the Americans who have been struggling lately due to economic disruption.