Dear Moneyist,
I am in a long-term partnership. I got sick and haven’t worked since 2016. My partner has supported me 100% financially. He claimed me as a dependent in recent years, including 2018.
We read that I could receive one of the $ 1,200 COVID-19 relief checks that was sent out last April if I filled out a $ 0 income tax return for 2019. I filled out a paper statement with the information from my bank account and, of course, my mailing address.
I am still waiting.
What is my best chance of getting anything out of these relief payments, be it a past stimulus check or a future one? If I could buy a new computer, I now feel good enough to work from home. Do you think I took the right approach to request a stimulus check, even though I am not working now?
LuAnn
See too: Trump to play golf as a stimulus, defense spending accounts left behind
Dear LuAnn,
The economic impact payment is effectively an advance payment of a tax credit on your 2020 return. However, if you did not file an income tax return before October 15, you will probably have to wait until 2021 to receive the or stimulus checks.
The IRS is using tax returns for 2019 to assess people’s income; 2018 tax returns are used as a Plan B, so if you filed a tax return for 2019, you will receive your stimulus check if you qualify based on that year’s return. With that in mind, you should receive a $ 600 stimulus check, now that President Trump has sanctioned the $ 900 billion pandemic relief package, thereby preventing a government shutdown.
If your husband claimed you as a dependent for 2018 and you filled out a 2019 tax form with zero income, you may receive the first $ 1,200 stimulus check (again, in 2021), but your husband’s 2019 return would be adjusted according. The IRS claims that telephone assistance is “extremely limited” at the moment, but you can find more information on here.
Moneyist:My boyfriend’s ex-wife claimed her 2 children as dependent on her taxes and received her stimulus checks, but they live with us
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President Trump sanctioned the $ 900 billion pandemic aid package, thereby preventing a government shutdown.
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Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, low-income Americans had access to free income tax assistance from Voluntary Income Tax Assistance and Tax Advice for the Elderly, both programs financed by the federal government. However, many of the offices in these programs have been closed or are operating on limited resources due to the pandemic.
So far, the IRS has distributed checks to more than 160 million Americans as part of the $ 2 trillion CARES stimulus package. Payments reach $ 1,200 for individuals who earn up to $ 75,000. Couples who earn less than $ 150,000 receive $ 2,400. The program was structured as a tax refund, so the IRS needs people to file a tax return.
Unlike most Americans who received their stimulus checks automatically, it is estimated that 9 million Americans who have not yet received their stimulus checks earn less than $ 12,000 a year and do not normally file federal income tax returns. Millions of other Americans are in your position, and I salute you for overcoming your health challenges to work from home next year. Some economists believe that there will be opportunities for 15% of all jobs with remote skills.
Moneyist: I won $ 100,000 in 2019, but much less in 2020. Why didn’t I receive a stimulus check? How is that fair?
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