IRS Extends Deadline to Register for Stimulus Payments

Blank U.S. Treasury checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 18, 2011. William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said that it’s giving some recipients of federal benefits more time to register for stimulus payments for their children in 2020.

The $1,200 stimulus payments for adults and $500 payments for children under the age of 17 were authorized in March’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Now, federal beneficiaries who received payments of $1,200 for themselves but haven’t received $500 payments for their dependents under the age of 17 have until Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. Eastern time to use the federal tax agency’s website tool to claim the payments, according to the IRS. It had previously set a deadline of Sept. 30.

Those who are eligible to take advantage of the deadline to get stimulus payments include those who are children of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, railroad retirement benefits, and veterans’ benefits payments who didn’t get file returns for either 2019 or 2018.

But those who haven’t received a payment and fall into one of the beneficiary categories or have a non-beneficiary spouse who has not received the payment will have to use the IRS non-filers tool by the deadline, the IRS says.

“While most eligible U.S. taxpayers have automatically received their Economic Impact Payment, some may need to provide their information by November 21 if they have not received their payment yet. If you don’t usually file a tax return and you have not received your Economic Impact yet, the IRS may not have enough information to determine your eligibility. This includes those receiving the federal benefits listed below,” the agency said.

The deadline also applies to parents who get Social Security, survivor or disability benefits, SSI, Veterans Affairs, or Railroad Retirement benefits who didn’t get the $500 payment for dependents. The IRS previously told parents they had until Sept. 30 to use the non-filers tool.

About 9 million people have yet to collect a stimulus check, the GAO says. According to the IRS, about 160 million taxpayers have received the payments, which were designed to offset the economic impact of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

Several Philadelphia-area parents filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department and the IRS, challenging a move to not send payments to people who missed the deadline.

“I am pleased that IRS will now provide federal benefits recipients the same extension to use the portal that it was giving all other non-filers,” said Jennifer Burdick, an attorney with Community Legal Services, according to The Washington Post. “Americans are experiencing unforeseen financial burdens due to the pandemic, and it makes good sense to give parents with disabilities the same opportunity to get the income their families need to get through the year.”

Those who don’t receive their payment by the end of the year can claim a credit when they file their 2020 tax returns in 2021.