How to Make Sure You Get Coronavirus Aid Money Even If You Don’t Have to File Taxes
Aid payments are slated to begin this week, but there is still some confusion over who gets what and what information the government needs to process your payment.
While most people don’t need to do anything if they filed their 2018 or 2019 tax return, there is some confusion about people who don’t need to file their tax returns. While the IRS has made it clear that people receiving Social Security or Railroad retirement benefits do not need to take any action to receive their payments, the IRS has not provided clear guidance to other groups, including those receiving veteran’s retirement benefits.
TurboTax has launched an incentive registration portal that could streamline the process and allay some of your concerns.
Itsincentive filing tool walks you through the minimum tax filing process with the IRS and then asks for information about your direct deposit so you can get paid faster . TurboTax will share this information with the IRS to process your payment. To use the tool, you need to create a free account with an email address, user ID and password.
The IRS plans to launch a portal to allow people to update their mailing address or add direct deposit information, but we are still waiting for more details on this site. When this changes, you can get detailed information from the IRS here . It can provide options for people who don’t normally file their tax returns, but until then, you can choose the TurboTax route.
You can also file your 2019 tax return using the free IRS approved filing form. We have listed them here.
Keep in mind that most people do not need to do anything to get benefits. This particular tool is only for people who are not required to file a tax return and are not receiving Social Security benefits so they don’t slip away from the cracks when payments start.