The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) has announced a new tool to assist taxpayers with claiming their Economic Impact Payment (EIP), sometimes referred to as a stimulus check. This new tool is for people who know they qualify and want to know what steps, if any, need to be taken to receive the payment.
You can try out the tool here. Note that this is NOT the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website. It’s the IRS TAS website. You can tell that it’s an official government website because it ends in .gov (don’t follow links to .com sites that allege to be affiliated with the IRS).
The tool does not determine eligibility for a check. You should be eligible for a payment if you:
- Are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or qualifying resident alien;
- Cannot be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return;
- Have a Social Security number (SSN) that is valid for employment (valid SSN); and
- Have adjusted gross income (AGI) below an amount based on your filing status and the number of your qualifying children. Checks begin to phaseout for those earning more than $75,000 ($150,000 for joint returns and $112,500 for heads of household) and are subject to phaseouts.
You are not eligible for a payment if you:
- Can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return;
- Do not have a valid Social Security number (a taxpayer with an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) does not qualify);
- Are a nonresident alien;
- Filed Form 1040-NR or Form 1040NR-EZ, Form 1040-PR or Form 1040-SS for 2019; or
- Have adjusted gross income (AGI) above the amount based on your filing status and the number of your qualifying children.
The tool follows an interview format. It asks questions related to your tax filing and other factors. As you answer, it walks you through the next steps – if any – you need to take to claim your EIP or stimulus check.
If you have additional questions, you can visit the Taxpayer Advocate Service Coronavirus (COVID-19) Tax Updates webpage.
