Economic Impact Payment Guide

On April 2, 2020, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced the distribution of economic impact payments to help Americans combat the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As always, Nassau Financial Federal Credit Union is committed to providing the guidance and support you need so you can focus on your loved ones’ health and wellness and staying safe. If your finances have been impacted by the pandemic, you’re not alone. We’re here to help you understand how to get your economic impact payment quickly and safely.

1. Check to see if you’re eligible. Visit irs.gov/coronavirus for questions on eligibility.
2. Get in the know about avoiding fraud and scams. Use the #FTCScamBingo to learn more about avoiding COVID-19 related scams.
3. Take steps to avoid getting a paper check so you can get your money faster without having to leave your home. In the coming weeks, the IRS will be developing a portal where consumers can check the status of their refund and provide their direct deposit information. Check irs.gov/coronavirus for timing.

A Payment made to someone who died before receipt of the Payment should be returned to the IRS by following the instructions in the Q&A about repayments. Return the entire Payment unless the Payment was made to joint filers and one spouse had not died before receipt of the Payment, in which case, you only need to return the portion of the Payment made on account of the decedent. This amount will be $1,200 unless adjusted gross income exceeded $150,000. 

According to the U.S. Treasury, tax filers with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 for individuals and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment. For filers with income above those amounts, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000 thresholds. Single filers with income exceeding $99,000 and $198,000 for joint filers with no children are not eligible. 

Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for either 2019 or 2018 and provided direct deposit information will automatically receive an economic impact payment of up to $1,200 for individuals or $2,400 for married couples - no additional action required. Parents also receive $500 for each qualifying child.

If you’re not typically required to file taxes and don’t receive Social Security benefits, you’ll need to file a simple return.

Visit irs.gov/coronavirus for more information.

Source: U.S. Treasury

In the coming weeks, the IRS will be developing a web-based portal where you can check the status of your refund and provide your direct deposit information. If you need help finding your account or routing number here are the easiest methods. 

You can typically find your account and routing number on the bottom left-hand corner of a personal check. The routing number is the first set of numbers and is typically nine digits. The next set of numbers — just to the right of the routing number — is your account number. 

If you don’t have a check handy, you may be able to find the account and routing number on your statements or online banking.

Scammers are already trying to take advantage of COVID-19 to steal your money or personal information. Be aware, they may:

• Ask you to sign over your economic impact payment check to them. 
• Ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up your economic impact payment. 
• Suggest you can get a tax refund or economic impact payment faster by working on your behalf. This scam could be conducted by social media or even in person. 

Learn more about protecting yourself from fraud and scams in the FAQs below.

• Use mobile and online banking for fast and easy access to managing your money.
• Online banking and mobile banking: Check balances, pay bills, transfer money and more.
• Mobile Check Deposit: Take a quick photo of a check to make a deposit in our app.

Learn more about Online and Mobile Banking.

Tax filers with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 for individuals and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment. For filers with income above those amounts, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000 thresholds. Single filers with income exceeding $99,000 and $198,000 for joint filers with no children are not eligible. Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for either 2019 or 2018 and provided direct deposit information will automatically receive an economic impact payment of up to $1,200 for individuals or $2,400 for married couples - no additional action required. Parents also receive $500 for each qualifying child. Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return do not need to take action. You will receive your payment directly in your bank account where you receive your Social Security benefit. If you typically receive a paper benefit check, you'll want to visit the IRS portal to provide your direct deposit information to get paid as quickly as possible. If you’re not typically required to file taxes and don’t receive Social Security benefits, you’ll need to file a simple return with your banking information. 

Visit irs.gov/coronavirus for more information.

For people who have already filed their 2019 tax returns, the IRS will use this information to calculate your payment amount. If you have not yet filed your return for 2019, the IRS will use information from your 2018 tax filing to calculate the payment. Visit irs.gov/coronavirus to learn how much money you may be eligible to receive. The eligibility for, and amount of stimulus payments, will vary according to your income and family situation, but you can find examples of the various scenarios here.

For eligible recipients, if you have filed a tax return for 2019 or 2018 or receive Social Security from the government, the IRS will calculate and automatically send the economic impact payment to you. The economic impact payment will be deposited directly into the same account you indicated on your tax return.

Nassau Financial may be able to help you open a new account. If you choose to open a new account, you’ll need to provide the account number and routing number to the IRS so they can direct the payment to your account. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Treasury plans to develop a web-based portal where you can provide your banking information to the IRS online.

Alternatively, you can opt to receive a check in the mail. Keep in mind that checks will be distributed over time and will take longer to arrive than a direct deposit. Directions for how to receive a check in the mail will be posted in the coming weeks to the web-based portal.

No, Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return do not need to take action. You will receive your payment directly in your bank account where you receive your Social Security benefit. If you typically receive a paper benefit check, you'll want to visit the IRS web-based portal to provide your account number and routing number to get paid as quickly as possible.

The Treasury Department has said it wants payments to begin arriving around mid-April. Direct Deposit payments will most likely arrive first.

In the coming weeks, the IRS plans to develop a web-based portal for individuals to check the status of their payment and/or provide their banking information online so that individuals can receive payments directly to their account if their payment has not already been sent as a check through the mail.

For eligible recipients, the fastest way to receive your payment is to make sure you’ve filed a tax return for 2019 or 2018 that includes your direct deposit information so the government can send the money directly to your account.

If you have yet to file a tax return for 2018 or 2019, you should file one now. The IRS will be sending out direct deposits weekly as they process additional tax filings.

For those concerned about visiting a tax professional or local community organization in person to get help with a tax return, keep in mind that economic impact payments will be available throughout the rest of 2020.

You will get a paper notice in the mail from the IRS no later than a few weeks after your payment has been sent. The notice will contain information about where the payment was sent (either the mailing address for a paper check or the bank account number for a direct deposit) and in what form it was made. If you cannot locate the payment and have not received a paper notice, the IRS plans to open a new, online portal for economic impact payments. The portal will allow taxpayers, once authenticated, to find out the status of their economic impact payments and, if no payment or check has been issued, they can provide their banking information for direct deposit.

Payments will be made in the full amount owed and are not subject to income tax deductions. According to Treasury, the payments may only be reduced by delinquent child support sent to the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service for collection, but you will receive notice from the Treasury if this happens.

Maybe. The IRS will use the information on the Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099 to generate economic impact payments to recipients of benefits reflected in the Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099 who are not required to file a tax return and did not file a return for 2018 or 2019. This includes senior citizens, Social Security recipients and railroad retirees who are not otherwise required to file a tax return.

Since the IRS would not have information regarding any dependents for these people, each person would receive $1,200 per person, without the additional amount for any dependents at this time. Please visit IRS.gov/coronavirus for more information.

No. Economic impact payments are federal income tax refunds and are not subject to federal income tax.

The IRS and its Criminal Investigation Division are reporting a wave of new and evolving phishing schemes (scammers who send emails with links to steal personal information that look like they come from legitimate sources) related to COVID-19. Be aware of the tactics fraudsters may deploy, such as:

• Emphasizing the words "Stimulus Check" or "Stimulus Payment." The official term the IRS is using is, “economic impact payment (or “EIP”).”
• Asking you to sign over your economic impact payment check to them.
• Asking by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up your economic impact payment.
• Suggesting that you can get a tax refund or economic impact payment faster by allowing them to work on your behalf. This scam could be conducted by social media or even in person.
• Mailing you a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then telling you to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.

If you receive unsolicited emails, text messages or social media attempts to gather information that appears to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS, such as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS), the IRS is asking that you forward it to phishing@irs.gov.

Here is a list of additional resources to avoid scams, fraud and identity theft, or visit the Security Corner on our website:

• Avoid Coronavirus Scams
• FTC Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: The FTC in Action
• FTC Coronavirus Scam Bingo

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