Still waiting for your stimulus check? READ THIS -

[GailL1]

Washington Post 05/11/2020 - Still waiting for your stimulus check? 

The IRS has not finished processing the Economic Impact Payments for SS Retirement/Spousal/Survivors, SSDI, RRB nor SSI or VA benefits.  The article explains it simply.

It is a long and complicated process and files have to be checked against each other - added to that is working with a reduced staff since many are still at home because of the pandemic.  Some IRS employees have volunteered to come back to work to tackle the backlog - tax processing and stimulus processing.

I am offering a copy/paste of a portion of the link ~ the rest is important too.

I host a chat every week on personal finance. Here’s a condensed and edited transcript of last week’s chat. Most questions were about the stimulus money.

Q: Where is my check? Who can help? This is frustrating! No place to enter a request to fix a problem. I am a Social Security recipient and have not filed taxes for several years. I have not received a check although I get my Social Security payments through direct deposit. I have tried to go online multiple times and entered my information, but I keep getting a message that says the IRS either can’t determine my payment status or they don’t have enough information.

A: If you fall within the income limits to get a payment, you should get an economic impact payment. Not having it by now doesn’t mean you aren’t getting the money. It could just mean the IRS hasn’t gotten to you yet. Because you have not filed taxes for years, your payment will be based on your status of receiving Social Security, and as such, you were not in the first wave of folks getting payments.

Think of it like the lines at the supermarket.

People who got their payments already were in the “15 items or less” line. They had a return on file with the IRS and — this is key — had a refund due to them in 2018 or 2019.

Then there are the other lines. Some appear long, but the cashier gets people through fairly quickly.

Most frustrating is the line with the chatty cashier. It looks short, but it takes super long — that’s people getting Social Security, survivor, disability, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement, or veterans compensation and pension benefits. You would think this line would go quicker because their information is already on file at a government agency or department. But it’s not at the IRS. So the IRS had to get information from the Social Security Administration or Department of Veterans Affairs, transfer that information to its system, and then start making payments.

I know this is hard to hear, but you have to just be patient. The money is coming if you’re entitled to it; you’re just in the line with the well-meaning but slow or chatty cashier.

[RoA399748]

what about people receiving SSD and living abroad? i read they wont deposit directly yet you shouldn't fill out the online forms?

[GailL1]

@RoA399748 

I don't consider US territories as living abroad but since you didn't say where -

Special rules apply to beneficiaries living in the U.S. territories:

American Samoa,

Guam,

Puerto Rico,

the Northern Mariana Islands,

and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

So if you live in any of those places - post the place.

[RoA399748]

Germany. It's confusing cause I heard the direct deposit can't go to a foreign account, but there's no way to put in any others. will they or will they not deposit it, will they send it by mail, or do I need to update them w/ any info? thanks!

[GailL1]

@RoA399748 

To add a bit more -

The FAQ page on the Economic Impact Payment says this and I believe it apples:

If you filed your 2019 or 2018 tax return but did not receive your refund by direct deposit, your Payment will be mailed to the address we have on file even if you also receive Social Security, Railroad Retirement or Veterans Affairs benefits by direct deposit. This is generally the address on your most recent tax return or as updated through the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Here is the FAQ page, there maybe another question that will help you.

https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center#eligibility 

[RoA399748]

thanks but it says specifically that if you receive SSDI do not fill out the form, you will get it automatically, but doesnt say for people abroad and I read they cannot/will not do a foreign bank transaction--are you saying they will send it by mail then to germany? sorry I bit confused still.

[GailL1]

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@RoA399748 wrote:

thanks but it says specifically that if you receive SSDI do not fill out the form, you will get it automatically, but doesnt say for people abroad and I read they cannot/will not do a foreign bank transaction--are you saying they will send it by mail then to germany? sorry I bit confused still.

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Receiving the EIP automatically is not possible if your SSDI benefit goes to a foreign bank account.  The SSA can send your regular benefits to countries to which they have an agreement - Germany is one.  https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf 

and

https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/questions-answers/collecting-social-security-abroad/ 

The IRS cannot send money to a foreign back account. 

So you either have to see if you can put in a US Bank, if you have one, OR the payment will be sent to your address of last record - either the one your 2018 or 2019 tax return or what Social Security currently has on file for you.  These addresses should be the same.

Federal Trade Commission 04/24/2020 - Economic impact payments for U.S. citizens abroad 

from the above link ~ Read all the link

Depending on your income, U.S. expatriates can get up to $1,200 each, or up to $2,400 for couples, plus $500 for each qualifying child, just as you would if living stateside. And, most people don’t need to do anything to get their payments. The IRS will deposit your payment directly to your U.S. bank account (the IRS can’t direct deposit money to a foreign account), or mail your payment using information from your 2018 or 2019 tax return or from your Social Security retirement or other federal benefits program.

That's all I know -

[RoA399748]

by what means can you tell them to use your US bank account? i didn't do taxes in 2018/2019 but online says you dont have to, and in fact, NOT to fill out the online form. so where do I update this information?

[GailL1]

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@RoA399748 wrote:

by what means can you tell them to use your US bank account? i didn't do taxes in 2018/2019 but online says you dont have to, and in fact, NOT to fill out the online form. so where do I update this information?

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Does the non-filing mean that you just didn't do them or that you didn't have to based on the "who should file" info from the IRS?

This is a tool to be completed to see if you do need to file.

IRS.gov - Do I Need to File a Tax Return? 

Your plight with this problem is not new and others have experienced it - maybe you should contact those who have been working on it with the IRS/Treasury.  Maybe one of those Congress-people mentioned in this article by name can help you - or the advocacy group of Americans Abroad.

Business Insider 05/06/2020 - American expats are afraid they won't get their stimulus checks becaus... 

I would imagine (just a guess) that problems like this maybe left to the end so that more checks, direct deposit or debit card can be completely sent out to the inside US masses - 

[RoA399748]

thanks. I didn't have to file, and I get direct deposit SSDI to my foreign bank--the online guidelines say do not fill out the form, so then I dont know how to tell them of a US bank acct. and some people I assume dont have one, so will they send it by international mail automatically? It's not clear. (maybe I fill out the form anyway, even though it says not to?)... I'll try to reach out to someone else as you suggest, but so far, I haven't gotten a fixed answer. i.e. if you are getting direct deposit SSDI to a foreign bank acct., you must do X. (seems crazy that it'd be so difficult, but alas, it is).

[GailL1]

@RoA399748 

The IRS is also gonna be issuing VISA Debit cards for the payment - would that work for you if you got it that way? 

The reason I mention that, is the IRS said that it will be issuing these VISA debit cards for those who filed their returns in the Austin Service Center (among others) and IF you had filed taxes as a citizen living abroad, that is where your return would have been processed.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayers-living-abroad 

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1012 

[GailL1]

@RoA399748 

As long as you are eligible for the economic impact payment (EIP),  it appears that you will have to enter a US Bank account to get your EIP by direct deposit; otherwise they will send you a check.

Use the address that you use for your tax return (2018/2019) or try the one that is on your Form 1099-SSA.

Yes, you will use the IRS GET MY PAYMENT Tool to enter your US bank. This page (blue button) takes you to the same page you linked in your other post.

All I could find specifically on this comes from HRBlock -

https://www.hrblock.com/expat-tax-preparation/resource-center/tax-law-and-policy/coronavirus-stimulu... 

I assume you know the eligibility requirements -

If this does not work, you may have to call the IRS's new phone number and got to thru the steps to get to a live person to ask.  I bet they tell you to file a tax return.

[GailL1]

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@RoA399748 wrote:

what about people receiving SSD and living abroad? i read they wont deposit directly yet you shouldn't fill out the online forms?

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If you get your regular SSDI benefit Direct Deposit - then it should come that way.

There are some people talking in the "big" thread about this very issue - SS benefit, Direct Deposit, living abroad - and some of them are now receiving their EIP (Economic Impact Payment ).

It could be just that you haven't been in the group processed yet. 

Or there could be other issues - eligibility, tax filing

Once a day check the Get My Payment IRS tool - when your payment has been scheduled it will give you the details and how it is arriving.  Read the page.

You might also find your specific situation on the IRS GET MY PAYMENT FAQ page

[RoA399748]

thanks. do you mean here: https://sa.www4.irs.gov/irfof-wmsp/login

what do I put in for address--looks like they're looking for a US addy/zip code.