facebook-pixel

Utah VA and SSI recipients with children need to act by May 5 to add money to their relief payment

(Eric Gay | AP file photo) This April 23, 2020, file photo shows President Donald J. Trump's name printed on a stimulus check issued by the IRS to help combat the adverse economic effects of the new coronavirus outbreak in San Antonio.

Utahns that are Supplemental Security Income and Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who weren’t required to file a tax return for the last two years will receive their automatic $1,200 Economic Impact Payment from the federal government.

But these individuals need to act by Tuesday if they have dependents and want to automatically add $500 to their payment for each child that is 16 or younger. Otherwise, they will not receive the $500 per eligible child until they have filed a 2020 tax return.

“We want to ‘Plus $500’ these groups so they can get their maximum Economic Impact Payment of $1,200 and their $500 for each eligible child as quickly as possible,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a news release. “They’ll get $1,200 automatically, but they need to act quickly and use the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov to get the extra $500 per child added to their payment."

The Non-Filers tool available in English and Spanish.

“Everyone should share this information widely and help others with the Plus $500 Push,” said Rettig “so that more Americans get more money as fast as possible.”

Utahns who receive SSI or VA benefits and do not have dependents will automatically receive the $1,200 stimulus payment by mid-May. Veterans who filed taxes in 2018 or 2019 also don’t need to take any action to receive their payment.

Kelsey Price, director of communications for the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, said over 31,500 Veterans in Utah receive a compensation and pension benefit from the VA.

“Getting this deadline out to these Veterans as quickly as possible is really important," Price said. “It pertains to many of our state’s lower income, disabled and other high-risk needs groups of Veterans, who are already more likely to be impacted by COVID19.”

Utahs that receive Social Security retirement, survivors or disability insurance benefits (SSDI) and Railroad Retirement benefits (RRB) should receive their automatic $1,200 payment in the next few weeks and don’t need to take any action. These groups had an April 22 deadline to use the IRS Non-Filers tool.

SSA and RRB beneficiaries who don’t typically file a tax return and have a child but did not register on the IRS Non-Filers tool by the deadline will still receive their automatic $1,200 payment. However, they won’t get the additional $500 per eligible child until they file a tax return for 2020.