VA and SSI Recipients Must Act Now to Add Eligible Children to Economic Impact Payment

People who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits who didn’t file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and who have children need to act by May 5 to quickly receive the full amount of their Economic Impact Payment.

Their $1,200 payments will be issued soon. In order to add the $500 per eligible child amount to these payments, the IRS needs the dependent information before the payments are issued. Otherwise, their payment at this time will be $1,200 and, by law, the additional $500 per eligible child amount will be paid in association with a return filing for tax year 2020.

A quick trip to a special Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov (https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here) can help put all of their eligible Economic Impact Payment money into a single payment. People who receive SSI and VA benefits will generally receive their Economic Impact Payments by direct deposit, Direct Express debit card, or by paper check, just as they would normally receive their benefits.