People living on the streets are at risk of not receiving the most recent payment.
It is not an eligibility problem. It’s about access.
The total payment of $ 1,400 must go to any individual who earns less than $ 75,000 in adjusted gross income, heads of households who earn less than $ 112,500 and couples who earn less than $ 150,000.
But because the government uses tax information to identify and send payments, many homeless people who do not file taxes because of their low income are left out.
Advocates and solutions for homeless people can help them overcome barriers and receive their stimulus payments.
The biggest problem: not declaring taxes
Many people who do not own a home may not file a tax return because their income is too low to claim it.
Last year, the IRS had a “no filing tool” for people who did not file taxes to claim their payments, but it has since been disabled. Now, the only way for non-architects to get checks is to claim them as a discount on their 2020 tax return.
The IRS recently announced that the tax deadline has been postponed from April to mid-May.
Homeless people who earn less than $ 72,000 can file their taxes for free through the IRS.
The IRS also offers face-to-face assistance programs for free. Most services run until mid-April, although it is unclear whether the free services will continue in May, now that the submission deadline has been extended.
United Way has a website dedicated to pandemic-related financial aid and partners with GetYourRefund.org, a free tax reporting service focused on stimulus payments and offering assistance from IRS certified volunteers.
People can also call the United Way’s 211 Economic Impact Payments Helpline at 844-322-3639.
Homeless people may not have a fixed address
Without a fixed address, declaring taxes – and receiving the stimulus payment you are requesting – can get complicated.
Free tax resources and trained volunteers can help you determine which address would be best to include on tax forms, be it a PO box or the address of a friend or relative.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists a number of options for IRS correspondence, including shelters, service providers or places of worship that retain correspondence for customers; friends or relatives; rented mailboxes or, as a last resort, General Delivery, a service from the USPS that offers a temporary mailing address.
The stimulus can come on a prepaid debit card
Without bank account information, the IRS can issue stimulus payments in the form of economic impact payment cards (EIP).
Although information on EIP cards related to the most recent stimulus package is available, the IRS will need a physical address to send the payment.
Anyone who wants to open a bank account can consider BankOn, a project of the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, which connects people who do not have a bank account for banks, says they are “safe and affordable.”
Other challenges exist, but can be navigated
Obtaining a tax return and an address acceptable to the IRS are difficult due to the lack of information and access. It is even more challenging than normal for homeless people to access the internet, as many public libraries offering free internet access remain closed due to the pandemic.
To learn how to connect homeless people to online resources, advocates can visit the Get It Back campaign.
Get It Back Campaign, which helps skilled workers claim tax credits and use free tax filing assistance, has a number of resources for inter- and intra-community assistance, such as brochures, social media graphics, and phone scripts to inform people of the receipt of your stimulus payments.
