INDIANAPOLIS — People in Central Indiana are growing increasingly frustrated with not getting their stimulus checks, and in some cases, their federal tax refunds.
Doretta New lives in Indianapolis and receives Social Security. She filed her taxes via mail on March 11, and has not received her federal refund or her economic impact payment from the government.
"I’m worried they don't even have this year's taxes,” New said. "I can't get any information and it's been six weeks. I don't even know if they have it.”
New re-sent another copy of her taxes via mail and hopes to see her money soon.
“It's real important,” New said. “I am having to help out one of my children because they've lost their job. I need to help them get back on their feet because they also haven't gotten any stimulus checks."
The IRS phone number will not allow you to talk to a live person.
RTV6 reached out to Social Security Administration who told us it’s the Treasury, not Social Security, that is making direct payments to eligible people.
Luis Garcia, a spokesperson for the IRS, provided the following statement to RTV6:
Your viewers can get almost everything they need from the Get My Payment Frequently Asked Questions page on IRS.gov.
No additional action is needed by taxpayers who:
- have already filed their tax returns this year for 2019. The IRS will use this information to calculate the payment amount.
- haven’t filed yet for 2019 but filed a 2018 federal tax return. For these taxpayers the IRS will use their information from 2018 tax filings - - to make the Economic Impact Payment calculations.
Your bank account information for your economic impact payment is usually captured from:
- the most recently filed tax return if you received a refund by direct deposit in 2018 or 2019, or
- the bank information you provided on our Get My Payment application, or
- the bank information you provided on the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool.
If Get My Payment indicates your payment is pending or has been processed, you cannot change your bank account information.
There could be a delay if the IRS hasn’t finished processing your tax return or if they don’t have your bank account information.
Some Social Security beneficiaries needed to take action on the IRS website by April 22.
Here’s a statement provided to RTV6 regarding Social Security:
Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who don’t file tax returns will start receiving their automatic Economic Impact Payments directly from the Treasury Department soon. People receiving benefits who did not file 2018 or 2019 taxes, and have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment. They should immediately go to the IRS’s webpage at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here and visit the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here section to provide their information. Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability insurance beneficiaries with dependent children and who did not file 2018 or 2019 taxes need to act by Wednesday, April 22, in order to receive additional payments for their eligible children quickly. SSI recipients need to take this action by later this month; a specific date will be available soon.
By taking this proactive step to enter information on the IRS website about them and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment. If beneficiaries in this group do not provide their information to the IRS soon, their payment at this time will be $1,200. People would then be required to file a tax year 2020 tax return to obtain the additional $500 per eligible child.
I urge Social Security and SSI recipients with qualifying children who do not normally file taxes to take action now. Immediately go to IRS.gov so that you will receive the full amount of the Economic Impact Payments you and your family are eligible for.
People with Direct Express debit cards who enter information at the IRS’s website should complete all of the mandatory questions, but they may leave the bank account information section blank as Treasury already has their Direct Express information on file.
Additionally, any new beneficiaries since January 1, 2020, of either Social Security or SSI benefits, who did not file a tax return for 2018 or 2019, will also need to go to the IRS’s Non-Filers website to enter their information as they will not receive automatic payments from Treasury.
