Stimulus Package

What is the Child Tax Credit?
What are Advance Child Tax Credit payments?
Does my child or dependent qualify for the Child Tax Credit?
Am I eligible to claim the Child Tax Credit?
Will claiming the Child Tax Credit affect my benefits?
Why did I receive a letter about the Child Tax Credit and what do I do with it?
Is it too late to claim the Child Tax Credit?
Additional Resources and How to Claim the Child Tax Credit
Am I eligible for the third round of Economic Impact Payments?
How were third round payments received?
How do I check the status of my third round economic impact payment?
How do I claim my third Economic Impact Payment if I am certain I did not receive it in 2021?
Was I eligible for the second round of Economic Impact Payments?
When were the second round of Economic Impact Payments sent?
Did I qualify for the first Economic Impact Payment?

In order to be eligible for the Economic Impact Payment, you had to meet three conditions (1) have a valid Social Security number (2) not be claimed as a dependent of another taxpayer, and (3) had adjusted gross income under certain limits.

If you didn’t get a first payment or got less than the full amount, you may qualify for the  2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and must file a 2020 tax return to claim it, even if you don’t normally file.

Learn more about who is eligible to claim the 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit.

Visit the IRS’s 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit Frequently Asked Questions.

How do I check the status of my first and second Economic Impact Payments?
How do I claim my first or second Economic Impact Payment if I did not receive one or both payments?
How can I file my taxes for free or receive assistance filing my taxes at no cost?
Am I eligible for an Economic Impact Payment if I receive SSI or SSDI and do not have other income?

You do not have to be earning income as an employee of a company or from any other source in addition to your Social Security payment. However, if you are listed as a dependent on someone else’s federal tax return you may not be eligible for rounds one and two of the stimulus payments.

Will the payments affect my eligibility for federal programs, like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI)?
When can SSI or SSDI beneficiaries, who have a Representative Payee, expect to receive their Economic Impact Payment?

The Social Security Administration issued an update June 1, 2020 to beneficiaries who have their regular monthly payments managed for them by another person called a Representative Payee (RP). RPs started receiving Economic Impact Payments from the IRS on May 28.

Note: Special rules apply to beneficiaries living in the U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In general, the tax authority in each territory, not the IRS, will pay the EIP to eligible residents based on information the IRS provides to the territories. It is anticipated that beneficiaries in the territories could begin receiving their EIP in early June.

If you filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return: 

Your $1,200 EIP should have been sent to the bank account provided on your tax return for an electronic tax refund, or mailed to the address provided on your tax return if a tax refund was mailed or if there was no refund.

If you did not file a 2019 or 2018 tax return:

  • For an Organizational RP, the schedule above is the same, except that the payee may have received the EIP electronically or by paper check in the mail.

Typically, check payments to RPs are clearly designated. For example, “Susan Smith for” on the first line of the check and the second line of the check displays the beneficiary’s name. For EIP checks, there may be instances where the RP’s name on the first line of the check is condensed, or missing the “for” designation, or the “for” designation could appear twice. These differences should not prevent financial institutions and check cashers from processing the check.

If I live in a nursing facility, and Medicaid pays for the cost of my care and services, will the Economic Impact Payments affect my Medicaid eligibility?

No. According to the CARES Act, the Economic Impact Payment is considered a tax credit and it does not count as a “resource” for federal benefit programs like Medicaid, for up to 12 months. The payment is yours to spend on your wants and needs, any way you choose.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has received reports of nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout the country claiming that Economic Impact Payments count as “resources” under the rules of federal benefit programs and must be used to pay for services. The FTC encourages consumers to check with loved ones who receive Medicaid and live in these facilities, and if they are experiencing this issue, to file a complaint with their state attorney general and report it to the FTC.

This fact sheet on EIPs and Nursing Facilities and issues related to payments being seized (including where advocates can report issues) is now available on the CCD website.

Can a nursing home or assisted living facility require me to hand over my Economic Impact Payment because I am on Medicaid?

Many nursing facility residents will receive Economic Impact Payments . Even if Medicaid pays for your care and services at the facility, the payment belongs to you and not the nursing facility and you may use these funds in whatever way you choose.

If my Social Security Administration (SSA) representative payee receives my Economic Impact Payment, are they required to turn over the entire amount to me?

Learn who manages your EIP if you have a representative payee.

Is the prepaid VISA debit card I received in the mail from the government my Economic Impact Payment and how can I use it without paying a lot of fees?

If you qualified for an Economic Impact Payment, you may have received your money on a prepaid VISA debit card, issued by MetaBank, through the mail. The Economic Impact Card would have come in a plain envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services” along with important information about the card, instructions for activation, fees and a note from the U.S. Treasury. If you received such a card in the mail, do not throw it away. You will need it to access your Economic Impact Payment.

The National Consumer Law Center compiled a fact sheet on the prepaid cards, including information on how to access the money, use the card and avoid fees. It also includes information on what to do if the card was thrown out.

Learn how to use your prepaid VISA debit card and avoid fees.

What do I do if I was eligible but did not receive a first or second Economic Impact Payment?

If you were eligible for a first or second Economic Impact Payment and did not receive your payments, FIRST you must check and verify the status of your payments with IRS. Visit How do I check the status of my first and second Economic Impact Payments? to verify if the IRS issued you payments.

There could be several reasons why your account may show you were issued a first or second Economic Impact Payment even though you did not receive one. Visit the IRS’s revised 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit FAQs: FS-2022-26:  QF3 to find reasons why this could have happened and QF8 to learn how to request a payment trace to track payments that were issued but you are certain you did NOT receive.

How can I return an Economic Impact Payment that I should not have received?

Millions of eligible individuals received their Economic Impact Payments. Some people, including those who received a payment for a deceased individual, may be unsure whether they should return a payment. The IRS has posted instructions for payments that were issued and received as a direct deposit, a paper check or as an EIP card and what to do if the payment was mailed to someone who has died.

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The Financial Resilience Center was developed by National Disability Institute with generous funding from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

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