When the $1,200 stimulus payments came out earlier this year, parents were promised an additional $500 for each child they claimed as a dependent. Many low-income families didn’t receive that money, called Economic Impact Payments, because the stimulus checks were based on tax returns.
Now, the IRS is trying to fix that, and is asking parents who did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return to still go to their website and claim a dependent by September 30. The IRS has set up a non-filers tool to help.
The non-filers siteis designed for those with incomes below about $24,400 for couples and $12,200 for individuals, and others who are otherwise not required to file a tax return. Those people typically do not file a tax return, and therefore would not have a record with the IRS of any dependent children.
"Given the extremely high demand for EIP assistance, we have continued to prioritize and increase resource allocations to eligible individuals, including those who may be waiting on some portion of their payment. To help with this, we are allocating additional IRS resources to ensure eligible recipients receive their full payments during this challenging time,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.
A news release on the IRS’ website also says they will be helping those who may have had part of their payments deducted because of past-due child support. The agency says people do not need to take any action, they are working to resolve those cases where past-due child support was applied.