April 13, 2021•Advocacy Matters
Accessing Stimulus Payments
Disability Matters with Joyce Bender
April 13, 2021
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Accessing Stimulus Payments
Three stimulus payments have been made available to people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people with disabilities may not have received all three payments because they are not required to file taxes because their income is below the filing threshold. In that instance, people with disabilities must wait until the federal government finds an alternative way to distribute the stimulus payment.
The Internal Revenue Service continues work on automatically sending payments to individuals on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The Washington Post reported at the end of March that nearly 30 million beneficiaries of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income are still waiting for their payments.
We want to encourage the disability community to take the steps necessary to receive all federal payments. The fastest route to get a stimulus payment and determine if you qualify for other COVID-19 tax benefits is to file taxes, even if you do not normally file a tax return. We want to encourage people with disabilities to file a tax return and do it by the I.R.S. deadline of May 17, 2021.
There are many reasons why people on SSI and SSDI should file their taxes now. Individuals can avoid a further delay in the receipt of their stimulus payments. Individuals can be sure the IRS has updated banking information. There are additional federal tax benefits for dependent children and dependent adults. You may now be eligible for a stimulus payment, even if you did not qualify before. The rules about who can get a stimulus payment has changed. You can qualify for a faster payment if there are future stimulus payments.
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The best thing to do to receive all of the money people with disabilities and their families are owed is to file a tax return this year and to do so by the May 17th deadline.
There is free help to file your tax return. We have links to those sites on our website at disabilityrightspa.org. Individuals will find resources that include the AARP, the IRS, and other free tax sites.
Links
I.R.S. Free Tax Preparation Referrals