The latest package of $1,400 stimulus checks provides additional rewards to individuals who recently completed tax returns.
- On Thursday, the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced the distribution of a sixth batch of $1,400 stimulus checks.
- The payments increase the amount to about 161 million, totaling more than $379 billion.
- Individuals who recently filed 2020 tax returns that have been processed by the IRS are included in the latest checks.
A sixth batch of $1,400 stimulus checks has been distributed, taking the total to approximately 161 million.
Since March, more than $379 billion has been distributed to Americans through direct payments.
The most recent batch contains approximately 2 million checks totaling approximately $3.4 billion. Approximately 900,000 payments were made by direct deposit, while nearly 1.1 million were made via paper check.
The recipients include individuals that the IRS did not previously have on file. After the IRS processed their 2020 tax returns, approximately 700,000 stimulus checks totaling more than $1.3 billion were distributed to all individuals in this round.
The government has urged individuals who do not receive financial assistance or who do not normally file tax returns to do so this year in order to request payment details and receive stimulus funds.
This request is valid for the recent $1,400 payments as well as the first two stimulus checks, which individuals might still be eligible for.
A recovery rebate credit has been added to this year’s tax form to allow individuals to claim funds from previous stimulus checks if they have not yet collected them.
Additional ‘plus-up’ fees
Additionally, the latest round of stimulus checks contained extra ‘plus-up’ bonuses to those who are already eligible for more money due to the processing of their 2020 tax returns.
This round resulted in the issuance of approximately 700,000 of those top-up checks, totaling approximately $1.2 billion.
Additional funds may be due to taxpayers whose circumstances have changed after they filed their 2019 tax returns, such as a decrease in income or the addition of a dependent to their family. If that is the case, the IRS will issue an additional payment after the processing of their 2020 return.
Money for federally qualified individuals
Additionally, about 600,000 payments to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients, including those with international addresses, were included in the sixth batch of stimulus tests.
If you have not yet collected your $1,400 stimulus check or wish to demand a direct payment of up to $1,200 or $600 per person from previous stimulus rounds, the IRS strongly encourages you to file a tax return this year.
This involves government beneficiaries who choose to request details about qualifying dependents, as well as individuals who are homeless.
Tools to assist you in filing your taxes
If you earn less than $72,000, you can use the IRS’s Free File service to file your federal tax return for free. The IRS offers additional details on its website about how to claim stimulus checks if you are not expected to file a tax return on a regular basis.
Additionally, the IRS provides tax planning services such as Tax Counseling for the Elderly and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA. The VITA program is open to individuals who earn less than $57,000 a year, have disabilities, or have a reduced ability to communicate in English. Although several websites that provide such services are currently unavailable due to Covid-19, the IRS maintains a locator tool on its website.
