Individuals across the country will soon receive a small measure of economic relief with the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act authorized stimulus payments to be made to most U.S. citizens in the form of Recovery Rebates.
The Arc has put together the following Frequently Asked Questions on the Coronavirus Stimulus Payments/Recovery Rebates. If you have any questions that were not answered here, please email Bethany Lilly, The Arc’s Director of Income Policy.
Who Is Eligible For Recovery Rebates?
The payments are available to many people, even people who do not make enough money to file taxes usually. People who are undocumented, lack Social Security numbers or file with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, as well as adults who were claimed as dependents are not are not eligible.
How Much Is The Payment?
$1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples who filed jointly. There is a $500 supplemental payment per child. People whose adjusted gross income was less than $75,000 for a single individual or $150,000 for married filing jointly are eligible for the full payment. The payment is gradually reduced for incomes above those levels, tapering off altogether at $99,000 for individuals and $198,000 for couples.
Do Asset And Income Limits Apply To These Payments?
No. Because these payments are like tax rebates, they “shall not be taken into account as resources for a period of 12 months from receipt, for purposes of determining the eligibility of such individual (or any other individual) for benefits or assistance (or the amount or extent of benefits or assistance) under any Federal program or under any State or local program financed in whole or in part with Federal funds” (26 U.S. Code § 6409). This means that people with disabilities can accept these payments without putting Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other benefits at risk.
Do People Have To Fill Out A Form To Get The Payment?
Only some people. The payments will be issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), like a tax refund, and if a person filed taxes in 2018 or in 2019, the payment will be made automatically to the bank account or address that the IRS has on file. There may be other automatic payments. We do not know when the payments will be made.
Can People On SSI Or Social Security Get Payments?
Yes. But many people may need to file tax returns. We are working with the Administration and Congress to make the process as automatic as possible for everyone.
Questions?
If you still have questions, please email Bethany Lilly, The Arc’s Director of Income Policy.
