dragonlady7

stimulus check, information

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girderednerve https://girderednerve.tumblr.com/post/646199549021569024:

I’ve seen that post going around about how to access a stimulus payment if you did not receive yours due to homelessness or other difficulty filing (remember, some incarcerated people do qualify), and I think it’s a little bit confusing so I want to clarify, just in case. The stimulus payments are refundable tax credits, which for our purposes just means that you have to file taxes to get them, and if you did get them, they won’t be taxed.

If you do not usually file taxes because you are below the income threshold for filing, you still need to file taxes to get your stimulus payment (and you may qualify for other credits depending on your situation). This year, you’ll claim the Recovery Rebate Credit to receive your stimulus money.

The deadline to file 2020 federal income taxes has been extended until May 17, 2021, so you have plenty of time to file, but it may be desirable to do it now so you can access whatever money the government owes you as quickly as possible.

Filing your taxes for most people in this situation is straightforward. You can do it on paper or with an online form, and request your payment as a direct deposit or as a mailed prepaid debit card. The debit card may take several months to arrive, and you can have it sent to a PO box rather than a residential address.

There are free tax preparation centers to offer assistance to people filing taxes; they have a limited number of in-person offerings this year, but may still be helpful in your area. Here is the IRS’s local lookup page https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/ for VITA and TCE centers.

AARP also offers tax help in various forms; their policies are inconsistent this year, but they will help anyone (you do not need to be a senior). Here’s their page https://taxaide.aarpfoundation.org/ to find assistance near you.

There are also online forms you can use: the IRS’s Free File page https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/ will direct you to the various third-party tax prep sites, so you just need to have your documents (dependents’ information, W-2s, etc.). You can use any of them to file a basic federal income tax return, completely free of charge. Your local public library may offer access to computers or WiFi to help you file, and many also have paper copies of the 1040 (basic income tax return) if you prefer to file on paper.

Taxes are always troublesome, but if you’re looking for help you have options! (Your picture was not posted)