NORRISTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) — Millions of Americans are still owed a stimulus payment, which was authorized by Congress in March.
The CARES Act called for economic impact payments of $1,200 per person as well as $500 per eligible dependent under age 17.
According to the Tax Policy Center in Washington, the IRS has sent out about nine million letters to people who didn’t receive their payment. In Pennsylvania, there were about 275,000 of those letters sent out.
Janet Holtzblatt, senior fellow at the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington, says the people going without a check are the ones most in need.
"The people who have not received a payment yet, are mainly people whose income is too low to file a tax return. Generally, their yearly income is below $12,000. The challenge is, they haven’t had contact with the IRS, and the IRS doesn’t know who they are," Holtzblatt told PBS39.
According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog group, over 700,000 widows didn’t receive their payment because their spouse died. Domestic abuse survivors, the report says, may also be at a loss.
Stacy Dougherty, spokeswoman for domestic abuse survivor advocacy group Laurel House in Norristown, Pa., says a lack of money makes it especially tough for survivors to leave their abusers.
"Many of our clients don’t have access to their own paychecks, perhaps because it’s deposited into a shared account that they’re not given access to," explained Dougherty. "Their credit cards are frozen, their accounts emptied. It’s not easy to be a single parent and fulfil basic needs, like keeping a roof over your head."
To check the status of money you may be owed the IRS offers an online portal called Get My Payment.
People who did not receive a stimulus payment —and who didnot file a tax return in 2019 — may still get the money this year by making a request with the IRS by Nov. 21st at midnight. Click here to view the non-filers form.
If you don't meet the deadline, the IRS says you should file a tax return in 2021 to get your stimulus payment.
Negotiations on a second stimulus package are underway in Washington. The package is expected to include another round of economic impact payments, along with aid for small businesses, education and coronavirus testing.