If You Don’t File Taxes, Sign up by Oct. 15 to Get a Stimulus Check
If you don’t file a tax return or get certain government benefits, like Social Security or SSI, you still probably qualify for a coronavirus stimulus check.
But if you don’t register with the IRS using the non-filer tool by Oct. 15, you could be missing out on your piece of the cash.
How to Use the Non-Filer Tool to Get a Stimulus Check
While Oct. 15 is the deadline for non-filers, why wait until then? Using the non-filer tool is easy and will take just a few minutes. You’ll need your:
- Name
- Mailing address and email address
- Date of birth
- Social Security number
- Bank account number and routing number, if you have one
- Driver’s license or state ID number, if you have one
- Names and Social Security numbers of any child you’re claiming as a dependent and their relationship to you and your house.
Getting a stimulus check could be a challenge if you don’t have a mailing address, but you still have options, like signing up for general delivery at your local post office or using the address of someone you trust. Here’s a guide to getting a stimulus check if you don’t have housing.
But for most people, the process is simple and well worth the effort: You’ll get $1,200 if you’re single, $2,400 if you’re married and file a joint return, plus a $500 credit for each dependent child who was younger than 17 at the end of 2019.
Who Doesn’t Qualify for a Stimulus Check?
There are a few circumstances where you won’t be eligible for a stimulus check. If you’re not required to file a tax return, you don’t have to worry about income limits. But you won’t qualify if someone else can claim you as a dependent or if you don’t have a Social Security number.
If you owe child support, your check could be intercepted and applied to your debt. But other debts, including back taxes, won’t affect your stimulus check.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder. She writes the Dear Penny personal finance advice column. Send your tricky money questions to [email protected].
