WASHINGTON – Roughly 25 percent of Social Security and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries nationwide had not yet claimed their federal Economic Stimulus Payments (ESPs) as of June 20, according to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Efforts to reach those low-income retirees, veterans and people with disabilities – about 5.2 million people nationwide and 22,109 in Rhode Island – include a second round of ESP information packets mailed by the agency over the past three weeks.
Providence County is among the 200 counties and 100 cities targeted for additional outreach. With 14,293 stimulus payments unclaimed by VA and Social Security recipients, it is No. 65 on the IRS list of counties most in need of such efforts.
To reach these non-filers, the IRS is teaming up with members of Congress; state and local officials; and national partners including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) and the VITA and AARP volunteer TaxAide programs. The agency also has more than 400 local Taxpayer Assistance Centers open during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Their locations and hours are posted online.
The IRS information packets, which the agency started mailing July 21, include instructions, a blank form 1040A and a sample form, showing the lines that need to be completed. And “a new online tool – developed by AARP TaxAide and the National Council on Aging’s BenefitsCheckUp – is available at www.AARP.org/stimulus or www.BenefitsCheckUp.org,” the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes on its Web site.
Even people who usually are not required to file an income-tax return must complete the form in order to receive their stimulus payment. The deadline for filing is Oct. 15.
“All it takes is a few simple steps, and the payment can be on its way,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said in a statement. “It’s not too late to file, but the sooner people file, the faster they’ll receive their money.”
Information about the 2008 Economic Stimulus Payment (ESP) Program and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service beneficiary outreach effort is available at www.irs.gov. Additional information, including resources for organizations interested in helping with the ESP outreach effort, is available from the nonprofit Center on Budget and Policy Priorities at www.cbpp.org.
