The veterans should finally be getting their third stimulus check starting today. There are other details that you ought to know if you are a veteran, including the expected date. Here is how you can keep track of your payment plus how to reach out to the authorities if you do not get it in time. There are also more details for social security beneficiaries.
Veterans receiving pension and VA disability benefits should expect their stimulus check to go out starting today. These payments are starting one week after the payments started for SSDI and SSI and other Social Security recipients.
The number of stimulus checks has crossed the 156 million mark and the max $1,400 checks have been sent out through direct deposit, as a paper check or debit cards through the postal service, or as EIP cards. Social Security beneficiaries will also receive their stimulus check as the IRS has received their updated files.
Facts That You Should Know If You Get VA Benefits
You automatically are eligible for the stimulus check that could benefit you up to $1,400 per individual. You do not have to take additional measures to qualify for the payment. The authorities are coordinating with the VA to ensure that the payments go out to all.
But if you are a non-filer, you should file your tax return for 2020. This will help the IRS get details about your dependents, especially if you had a baby in 2020. These payments will be added to your stimulus payment.
As A Veteran, When Exactly Will The Payment Arrive?
IRS has already started sending out the stimulus check for veterans starting April 14. Veterans could refer to the IRS tool, ‘Get My Payment’ to get further information.
How Much Will Be Paid And How?
You could receive up to $1,400 as an individual under the American Rescue Plan if you have qualified for the latest stimulus check. To this will be added the payments for dependents, which include older dependents, college-going kids, and dependents having certain disabilities. Each could get an extra $1,400 per head.
You could receive your stimulus payment as a deposit to your Direct Express card if you are a non-filer. But if you are a filer, you should have received your stimulus check through direct deposit to your bank account. But if Direct Express does not have the information required for direct deposit, it will rely on other agencies.
The IRS helps veterans set up their direct deposit through a bank account and receive their VA benefits. But as the check will be out this week it is too late to opt for a direct deposit.
Who Counts As A Qualified Dependent?
The scope of dependents has been widened to include college-going kids, dependents with certain disabilities, and older dependents under the third stimulus payments. The dependents will also qualify for up to $1,400 and the payment will be deposited in the veterans’ account or added to their check. If the IRS does not have all your details, filing your 2020 tax returns is the best way to update all the information they need to send out the complete payment. It includes the payment for any baby welcomed into the house in 2020.
Will VA Benefits Be Affected By The Third Stimulus Check?
No, the stimulus check will only be in addition to any other veteran benefits that you enjoy at the moment. for instance, if your income is within the permissible limits, you could receive as much as $5,600 for a family of four. And that payment will not affect how much you get as a veteran benefit.
As A Veteran Does My Child Also Qualify For The Child Tax Credit?
There has been an expansion of the American Rescue Plan to cover all children up to the age of 17. Parents or caregivers with children aged 5 and younger could get a maximum of $ 3,600. For kids aged 6 to 17, the Child Tax Credit is a little lower at $3,000.
Added Benefits For Federal Unemployment
Those receiving benefits under the federal unemployment scheme will get an extension of the $300 weekly payments through September 6.
Haven’t Received The Previous Stimulus Check?
You can still apply for payments that you have not received for the first and second stimulus payments paid out in 2020. You have to file for a Recovery Rebate Credit as part of your tax filing for 2020 this year.
Additional Details For SSI, SSDI, And Retired Railroad Workers
Social Security workers and railroad pensioners have started receiving their third stimulus check as the IRS has sent out 19 million payments starting the first week of April. Most payments have been either through Direct Express cards or as a direct deposit into banks.
If your SSI and SSDI, or other Social Security benefits stopped either in 2019 or 2020, chances are that you have not received your first and second stimulus checks, or missed out on part of the payment. For this, you need to first request a payment trace with the IRS. If the payment were not sent out, you could claim it through the Recovery Rebate Credit as part of your 2020 tax returns.
What If The Stimulus Payment Never Arrives?
For veterans and Social Security beneficiaries, contacting the SSA or the VA will not help. You have to reach out to the IRS with details though calling them up will not help either. As they have pointed out on their FAQ pages, the operators manning the phones have only as much information as is available in the IRS tracker. The surest way to get information and resolve your problem is by requesting the IRS for a payment trace.
Details On The Direct Express Method Of Payment
If you regularly receive your Social Security benefits through the Direct Express card, your stimulus check will also be credited to this card. It is important to note that you will be allowed a free additional withdrawal over and above the free monthly withdrawal already allowed under the scheme.
This mode of payment is a departure from the payments made for the first and second stimulus check. Most Social Security beneficiaries received their 2020 stimulus payments either as paper checks or through a non-Direct Express account.
Signing Up For A Direct Express Account; Can A Closed Direct Express Account Be Revived?
You can receive your monthly federal benefits by Direct Express account any time you choose for it. But there is no time to opt for paying your third stimulus check through this method. It will be either through a paper check or debit card delivered by the US postal service.
You can reach out to Direct Express at 1-800-333-1795 from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET). Your representatives at Direct Express will not be able to answer questions on your stimulus check.
If you have closed your Direct Express card, or if there is an error in the details, chances are that the payment will be returned to the IRS. They will reissue the payment, most likely through the postal service. So be sure to update your mailing address if you have moved recently. The details should reach both the IRS and the US postal service.
