Coronavirus stimulus checks: IRS is sending out catch-up payments
The Internal Revenue Service is sending catch-up stimulus checks to 50,000 individuals for money that was withheld to pay their spouse's past-due child support.
The IRS plans to issue these catch-up payments in early-to-mid-September. They won’t be directly deposited into bank accounts. Instead, the payments will be mailed as checks to anyone who submitted Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, along with their 2019 or 2018 federal tax return.
If you didn’t file the paperwork but were affected, you don’t have to file the form or take any further action, the IRS said. It will automatically issue those payments but didn’t provide a timeframe for those checks.
You can check the status of your payment by using the Get My Payment tool on the IRS website.
These catch-up payments are the latest effort by the IRS to send missing money to Americans who did not get the full amount they were entitled to. Because the federal government rushed out 160 million stimulus payments this spring, several glitches popped up that resulted in erroneous payments.
Parents are getting catch-up payments, too
For instance, some parents did not get the $500-per-child bonus when they qualified for it. The IRS is offering ways to correct these mistakes.
Those who receive federal benefits, but did not receive dependent payments for eligible children can submit their information using the IRS non-filer tool to get their catch-up payment.
Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement, and Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension beneficiaries have until Sept. 30 to do this to receive the payment this year. If you miss the deadline, you have to wait until next year to claim it as a credit on your 2020 federal tax return.
Low-income Americans with qualifying children who didn’t file their 2018 or 2019 tax return also have until Oct. 15 to enter their children’s information into the Non-Filers tool to get payment this year.
About 160 million Americans received a stimulus check in the first round that started going out in April. Both Democrats and Republicans want another round of payments, but negotiations over other stimulus efforts have stalled any progress.
Janna is an editor for Yahoo Money and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @JannaHerron.
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