Breaking Down The Details Of The 2008 Economic Stimulus Plan and Your Tax Rebate Check
Update: Read About The Possibility Of A 2009 Second Stimulus Check
With both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate having nodded their respective approvals of the nearly $160 billion economic stimulus package (that’s “B’ as in Billion), the bill has finally been signed, sealed, and delivered to President Bush for final approval. The President has already indicated that he will quickly sign the economic aid into law – so I believe the rebate checks will soon be on their way to a mailbox or direct deposit account near you.
I shall try to explain how the 2008 economic stimulus package will work and how much you can expect to receive in the way of a rebate check.
1) Why Are We Getting A Tax Rebate Check?
The Tax Rebate Check is part of the U.S. government’s emergency pro-growth economic stimulus plan to prevent the U.S. economy from stalling out and entering a period of prolonged recession. Due to the recent slowdown in the economy caused by housing bubble problems and subprime mortgage related issues, the federal government wants to keep the economy on the up and up by putting money into the hands of U.S. consumers to encourage increased consumer spending. Like jump starting a car, the government wants to hand consumers extra wads of cash to encourage increased business investment and consumer activity. Surveys have indicated that at least half of consumers intend to use the money to pay down existing debt, while the other half intends to either save or spent it on extra things. Personally, I plan to save my economic stimulus check if I qualify for one. While the stimulus plan also provides some business incentives, I will only focus on the consumer side tax rebate checks at this time.
2) How Does Qualifying For And Receiving A 2008 Tax Rebate Check Affect And Relate To My 2007 and 2008 Tax Returns?
The economic stimulus tax rebate is counted as a tax credit against your future 2008 tax bill. However, you are entitled to the full qualified rebate amount when you file your 2007 tax return by the April 15, 2008 deadline. Qualification to receiving it now will be based on your 2007 income information. Taxpayers should not be concerned that the tax rebate is only a mere future credit that has been accelerated into the present in terms of timetable. The economic stimulus tax rebate is a true credit for qualified taxpayers (free money essentially). The rebate amount that you receive now will not be used to offset any of your future income tax bill or any anticipated refund checks from filing your future 2008 tax return on April 15, 2009.
The economic stimulus plan is flexible and permits taxpayers to either file their tax return on April 15, 2008 and get their rebate checks now (the preferred route), or wait till April 15, 2009 to file their 2008 tax return and get their rebate checks then. Note that even if you file now and qualify for a rebate check, and your status changes and you become eligible for a larger rebate when you file your 2008 tax return next year, you can still claim the positive difference at that time. In addition, you will not have to give back any rebate money already received even if your status change causes you to later qualify for a lesser amount for tax year 2008 when you file in 2009.
3) Who Will Get A Tax Rebate Check and How Much Will I Receive?
The economic stimulus tax rebate checks are intended to go into the hands of low to middle income Americans (those who are supposedly more inclined to spend them immediately). Thus while most ordinary taxpayers will qualify for a stimulus check, those who make a lot of money are likely to be partially or fully phased out of receiving a rebate.
The amount of your tax rebate will be based on your 2007 federal income tax return’s adjusted gross income (AGI), which is not just your annual salary. Your AGI includes all income sources including wages, salaries, tips, interest, alimony paid to you, and dividends, offset by any specific business, or capital gains or losses – but it does not include the personal exemption, or any standard or itemized deductions. You are entitled to receive the full rebate amount unless your adjusted gross income exceeds a certain threshold, in which case you will either receive a reduced rebate or be entirely excluded from receiving one at all if your income is simply too high. However, the economic stimulus package is intended to cover many people and nearly 130 million Americans are expected to qualify for at least part or all of their entitled tax rebate check.
The proposed plan that is expected to be approved will provide one time check rebates of up to $600 for individuals or $1,200 for couples, along with an additional $300 for each child (classified as dependents under the age of 17). Low income people, including retirees on Social Security or Veterans disability benefits who earned at least $3,000 will receive checks of $300. Low to middle income people including retirees who made enough to pay taxes will receive higher tax rebates up to their net tax liability, limited only by their AGI. But so long as you paid taxes and made ($3,000 or more a year but less than $75,000 as a single individual), or ($3,000 or more, but less than $150,000 a year as a married couple), you will be entitled to the full tax rebate check.
If you exceed the adjusted income threshold, you may still get a rebate, but it will be reduced by 5 percent of the amount you earned above the adjusted gross income limits of $75,000 for single filers and $150,000 for couples. Thus for example: A single filer with no children and an adjusted gross income of $80,000 ($5,000 over the limit), will see his or her rebate check reduced by $250 (5% of $5,000), and will receive a check for $350, instead of the full $600. Rebate checks will phase out completely for single filers who earn over $87,000 and for couples who earn over $174,000.
| Single Individuals (AGI) |
Qualify For A Rebate Check? |
| Less Than $3,000 (must be earned income) |
No |
| ($3,000 – $75,000), but DID NOT pay taxes | Yes – $300, plus extra for each child |
| ($3,000 – $75,000), but DID pay taxes | Yes – $600, plus extra for each child |
| (Over $75,000 – $87,000) | Yes – But for income that exceeds $75,000, your rebate will be reduced by 5% (in $1,000 increments), plus extra for each child |
| Over $87,000 income | Maybe – You have been phased out, but can still get rebates for your child |
| For Each Child You Have | Additional – $300 per child |
| Married Couples (AGI) |
Qualify For A Rebate Check? |
| Less Than $3,000 (must be earned income) |
No |
| (3,000 – $150,000), but DID NOT pay taxes | Yes – $600, plus extra for each child |
| ($3,000 – $150,000), but DID pay taxes | Yes - $1,200, plus extra for each child |
| (Over $150,000 – $174,000) | Yes - But for income that exceeds $150,000, the rebate is reduced by 5% (in $1,000 increments), plus extra for each child |
| Over $174,000 income | Maybe – As a couple, you’ve both been phased out, but can still get rebates for your child |
| For Each Child You Have | Additional – $300 per child |
4) Who Is Excluded From Receiving An Economic Stimulus Rebate Check?
If you are a single individual who earned more than $87,000, or if you are a married couple that earned over $174,000 for the year, you are likely excluded from receiving a rebate check, unless you can otherwise claim any extra child rebates. Keep in mind that the child rebates can also be phased depending on how much your adjusted gross income exceeds the income threshold.
If you’re a young college student who had earned income for 2007 but are claimed as a dependent under your parent’s tax return, you are ineligible for the tax rebate as well.
Under the Senate approved proposal, illegal immigrants will also not be eligible to receive tax rebate checks for obvious reasons.
5) What Do I Have To Do To Get My Tax Rebate Check?
To get your tax rebate check now, you must file your 2007 federal tax return (either a form 1040 or 1040 EZ) by the April 15, 2008 filing deadline. Or you can wait until April 15, 2009 to file your 2008 tax return and obtain it then (although, why would you want to wait until then?). I recommend using a low cost online tax preparation program such as Turbo Tax or Tax Cut to assist you (both are reasonably priced and provide accurate results). Even if you don’t usually file a tax return because you don’t earn enough to owe taxes like some retirees or veterans on disability, you will still need to file a 2007 tax return in order to receive the economic stimulus check.
6) When Can I Expect To Receive My Tax Rebate Check?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) intends to start issuing the rebate checks starting May 2008 to qualified recipients who properly and timely submit their tax returns by the April 15, 2008 filing deadline. If you miss the annual tax filing deadline or request a filing extension, it is possible you won’t receive your rebate check until the end of the year (thus I suggest you file by April 15, 2008 – mark it on your calendar and circle it!)
7) Where Can I Get More Information About The Tax Rebate?
To get official answers to your tax rebate concerns and queries, you should check the official IRS website link on the subject. Please take a look at my post on obtaining official Answers To 2008 Economic Stimulus Questions. For an unofficial response however, you can try posting your comments or questions here.
Updated Note: The IRS has released the official Economic Stimulus Payment Schedule.
February 16th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
If we owe for our 2007 taxes, will we still receive a tax rebate check?
February 16th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Smr,
I presume by “we” that you represent a married couple. Do you have any kids that can qualify you for the additional child tax rebate?
But to address your question, because you made enough in 2007 to pay taxes, you WILL receive a tax rebate check, but any rebate will be reduced by any phaseouts of your adjusted gross income that exceed $75,000.
February 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
IF YOU ARE ON SS DISABILTY AND RECIEVED LESS THAN 9000.00 AND WORKED AND ONLY EARNED 1500 DO YOU STILL QULIFY, OR DO YOU HAVE TO EARN 3000.00 ABOVE SS
February 17th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Francene,
Ordinarily, your Social Security income would not be taxable as it is currently below the taxable threshold. But the economic stimulus law contains a special provision allowing Social Security and disability recipients to count those benefits towards the qualifying income requirement of $3,000. Thus under the terms you’ve provided, you ARE qualified to receive a stimulus payment.
But because you won’t need to pay taxes on your benefits or earned income, you will only be entitled to the lower $300 rebate rather than the higher $600 amount.
See this IRS Publication for more information.
February 19th, 2008 at 8:02 am
If I am dependent of my parent yet i worked and made more than $3000, and 19yrs old. Would I qualify or my parents received it?
February 19th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
LC,
If your parents filed taxes and claimed you as a dependent for tax purposes, you are disqualified from receiving a tax stimulus check even though you had earned income in 2007 that exceeded $3,000.
However, if you are merely dependent on your parents for some financial support and they DID NOT claim you as a dependent for TAX purposes, then you may be entitled to a rebate.
February 24th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I was informed by an accountant that if I received a $1,200.00 Bush rebate in 2008 and I am entitled to received a $2,000.00 refund in 2009, the IRS will deduct my 2008 $1200 dollar Bush rebate from their 2009 refund resulting in a actual refund of $800.00. Is this correct?
February 24th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Jim,
There is much confusion on this tax matter and understandably so. I will try to explain.
To clarify, the 2008 economic stimulus rebate that we are all applying for by this year’s April 15, 2008 filing deadline is based on 2007’s tax return. However, it is actually a sort of “modified” credit towards your future 2008 tax return. If your income and tax situation doesn’t qualify you to receive the rebate this year in 2008, you are permitted to file and qualify for it again in April 15, 2009 when you file your 2008 tax return.
The advice your accountant provided you appears to be incorrect. My understanding is that if you receive a stimulus check this year, the IRS will not offset it later on in 2009 when you file your 2008 tax return even if for example, your life situation changes and thereby entitling you to a lesser stimulus rebate amount had you waited until 2009, when you filed your 2008 return.
Thus, to address the specifics of your situation: The IRS should not deduct your $1,200 stimulus rebate check amount from your $2,000 tax refund filed in 2009 arising out of your 2008 tax return. If your tax rebate stimulus check was only a mere offset of your future tax return, it would be nothing more than a mere loan. But Bush’s economic stimulus checks are true tax rebate credits.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I F I HAVE A DEBT WILL THIS REBATE CHECK BE OFFSET IN ANY WAY?
February 25th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Chalah,
Ordinary debt, such as credit card or even mortgage debt, has nothing to do with entitlement to the 2008 economic stimulus rebate check. As long as you pay taxes and have adjusted gross income that is within the threshold amounts, you will receive a rebate.
February 26th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Just a quick question, I am a homemaker and my husband made 42,000 this year. Would we get the 1200 plus kids , or would it be 600 plus kids? Also we filed in January would we still receive it in may?
February 26th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Sarastearns,
Based on the details you’ve provided, I presume you and your husband filed your tax return as “married filing jointly” and that the $42,000 amount was the adjusted gross income (AGI) amount. I am also presuming that you and your husband ultimately owed some taxes on the return.
In that case, it appears you will be entitled to the full $1,200 rebate plus an additional $300 for each child you have. You fall within the qualification threshold. Having filed your tax return in January and before the April 15 deadline, you are on track to receive your full economic stimulus tax rebate check by the projected May estimation.
February 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
It says dependents under 17 years of age not 17 and under. I have a brother that is 17 so does that mean my mother wont get the extra dependent money?
February 28th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Hi Ray (I like your name by the way),
But, yes, unfortunately your statement is correct. Because your brother is already 17, he cannot be classified as an under 17 child dependent for tax rebate purposes. Your parents will not be entitled to the extra child dependent credit of $300 when it comes to him.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I’m in the Maybe Category. AGI over $174,000 with 3 kids under 17. Will I get $900 for the kids or is it a partial payment?
February 28th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Bruce,
Running some quick math on my trusty calculator here, I would say that if your AGI exceeds $174,000 by $18,000, your 3 child rebates would be phased out completely as well.
You did not list your exact AGI information, but if your adjusted gross income is more than $192,000, you won’t be entitled to the full Bush tax rebate.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
My husband and I filed bankruptcy 11/2007. We rec’d a discahrge 02/2008. Will we have to return the 2008 rebate check??
February 29th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Well Colleen,
Just a little disclaimer that bankruptcy law is not my legal background. But based on my understanding, since you filed for bankruptcy protection in 2007 when you were not yet due the tax rebate, and presumably since the estate trustee has made no effort to claim the rebate prior to discharge, you should be able to keep the full tax rebate amount.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:00 am
This stimulus package discriminates against the very people who need it the most.People who are on SSI don’t qualify for some stupid reason…..aren’t they citizens also….
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:11 am
Nik,
The economic stimulus package passed because of compromises in the Senate that expressly mandated the inclusion of Social Security income recipients into the mix of those who will qualify for the tax rebate. Although Social Security generally isn’t high enough by itself to qualify as taxable income because it doesn’t exceed the base income threshold, Bush and Congress are allowing the amount to factor towards the tax rebate calculation I’ve outlined in the chart above. I think they clearly are not being discriminated against, despite the way you’ve described.
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 am
I’m a single parent of two and self employed and my (AGI) was 12,704 do I qualify for the Stimulus Rebate Check. and I paid self employment taxes of $1931.00
March 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Shawn,
Based on the information you’ve provided and presuming the accuracy of the numbers – you will be entitled to a tax rebate check of $1,200. This includes $600 for your single filing status with taxes paid, and two sets of $300 for your children.
Even if your filing status was Head Of Household rather than single, do note that for tax rebate purposes, Head of Household is being treated the same way as filing single. Thus, if your filing status is anything other than “married filing jointly”, the adjusted gross income limit for rebate purposes is generally $75,000.
You are precisely who the economic stimulus plan was designed to target. Remember to spend/save the amount wisely when you receive the check in May. That’s the anticipated tax rebate check delivery date.
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I’m still a little confused on the SS aspect of the rebate. My wife & I had only $2760.00 of earned income, $1500.00 IRA withdrawal & our Social Security. However our SS doesn’t even show on our tax return because the worksheet says it isn’t high enough to be taxable. ??
March 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Ron,
Entitlement to the economic stimulus tax rebate is something the IRS will calculate for you. Your job is just to make sure you filed timely and with accurate data.
Your Social Security income, although not considered taxable because it’s below the threshold test, will still be factored by the IRS towards tax rebate qualification. My understanding is that the IRS will match your total Social Security benefits to you and apply it towards the tax rebate qualification test to see how much you are entitled to despite the information not being expressly reflected on your personally filed income tax return forms.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Me and my husband file MFJ. We have AGI over $174,000. We claim both of my parents as dependents. They are retiree over 70 yrs old and live on SS, with income less than $3000. Are our parents qualified for a tax rebate? How would it affect our tax return?
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Le,
Unfortunately, because your dependent parents are not classified as children under the age of 17, you and your husband will not be able to claim them for the extra child tax rebate for economic stimulus plan purposes.
Additionally, because your retiree parents do not have at least 3,000 in earned income (which for economic stimulus plan purposes also includes all otherwise non-taxable Social Security benefits), they do not satisfy the minimum threshold of $3,000 for tax rebate entitlement.
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
My husband and I filed chapter 13 bankruptcy in Jan. 2008. Will we be able to
keep our rebate?
March 3rd, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Kathy,
This is a very good legal question for which I have no solid definitive answer. It is an issue that may have to be advised and litigated by your attorney as he or she so chooses.
The first step is to determine the position that your Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee intends to take. The case would be moot obviously if he or she chooses to deem the economic stimulus tax rebate as an exempt asset from trustee control.
However, in my opinion, I think the tax rebate amount will likely have to be sent to the trustee unless it was exempted at filing. Since the tax rebate was not signed into law until February 2008, the rebate could not have been exempted at the time of Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing. Any such tax refund usually represents an over-withholding not permitted under Chapter 13. I think the amount will likely have to go to the trustee.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Me and my wife file MFJ. If we have our parents as our dependents on our tax return. They are retirees with income on SS over $3,000. Would they be qualified for a rebate? Would it be phase out with our AGI or they will receive their portion seperately?
March 4th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Thomas,
There is an extra $300 tax rebate for each claimed dependent, but it is only for qualified children under the age of 17. That means taxpayers who claim an older person 17 or over as a dependent won’t get the extra money.
Individuals 17 or over who were claimed as dependents won’t be happy either. The economic stimulus bill specifically makes dependents, or even those who could be claimed as a dependent, ineligible for the tax rebate. So your dependent parents who were claimed by you and you wife won’t get rebates even if they held jobs or otherwise had Social Security income that otherwise would have qualified them for the tax rebate money.
In the alternative, if the financial numbers makes sense, one option is to amend your tax return and remove your parents as dependents. If you do that, they will be able to separately qualify for the tax rebate on their own (they will need to file their own 2007 tax return however). Of course, you and your wife will probably end up paying more in taxes.
So it’s just a matter of shifting tax money around.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
My husband and I have 4 children together and he also has 1 child from a previous marriage. We filed our taxes as married filing jointly and claimed all 5 children. Our AGI was around $43,000. Im a stay at home mom. So based on this info can you tell me what our stimulus check amount may be?
March 4th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Candice,
You and your husband are in luck! The current stimulus plan imposes NO limit on the number of child based rebates that a family may be entitled to. As long as you claim all five children as dependents on your federal tax return, the IRS should be able to do the math.
Based on your married filing jointly AGI of $43,000 and presuming the numbers you’ve provided are accurate and that you did have to pay taxes, I calculate that you will be entitled to a big fat whopping rebate check of: $2,700.
Remember to use the money wisely!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I’m currently going through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but it has not been filed yet. Will I get the stimulus check, or will I have to pay it back?
March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Tracy,
In regards to your anticipated Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing, you will likely lose your economic stimulus tax rebate check if you file for bankruptcy protection prior to receiving it. You will likely be required to turn over all or part of the rebate check to your Chapter 7 trustee unless it can otherwise be successfully claimed as exempt under federal and state laws.
If you wait till shortly after you receive your tax rebate to file for bankruptcy, the rebate check will likely be included as income for purposes of running the means test to see if you qualify for filing Chapter 7 to begin with.
As always, consult an attorney for further detailed guidance.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:40 am
IS THERE A SPECIFIC WAY THE IRS IS HANDING OUT THE REBATES? ONLY BECAUSE I HEARD SOMETHING IN THE MATTER OF THEY ARE GOING BY THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR SOICAL SECURITY NUMBER. CAN YOU CLEAR THAT ONE UP? THANKS
March 6th, 2008 at 2:22 am
Christina,
There seems to be much online speculation about the way and the order that the tax rebate checks will be sent out. The advanced refund tax rebates in 2001 were distributed according to Social Security Number, and related rumors seem to be surfacing again. After doing some research, I have not been able to confirm that piece of information, so at this time being I must continue to view that as mere speculation.
While I do know the IRS is rapidly trying to assemble an orderly distribution system, they have not yet announced the order in which the 2008 tax rebates will be sent out.
I recommend regularly checking out the IRS Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center website link. It’s the only official source of information regarding the tax rebate.
Of course I will continue to post significant announcements as they are officially released.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:39 am
My wife and I recently were informed that our tax refund check was being offset and applied to an old school debt of hers. How will this affect our stimulus check. I will be filing an injured spouse claim soon.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Will,
Based on the information you’ve provided, I presume your wife’s old student loans are currently in default. As a result, there is a student loan lien being placed on any IRS income tax refund coming to you. Your economic stimulus tax rebate check will likely be intercepted as well. Unless the student loan debt is paid off or missed payments are made current, your rebate check money will likely be siphoned off to pay for the outstanding loan.
As for your injured spouse claim, the IRS has not issued any special claim forms as of yet for the matter so I would just go ahead and file the regular Form 8379 claim for Injured Spouse Allocation. If your claim is successful, your tax rebate amount should be split 50/50, including the amount for each qualifying child if any.
March 6th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
My wife and I had a 2006 tax balance to the IRS which is being paid on under my wife’s Chapter 13 payment plan. Will we still get our stimulus check or will it go to her trustee ?
March 6th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Chris,
I am unable to provide you a very definitive answer to your question because it depends on how your Chapter 13 trustee views such windfall tax rebates that are not linked to the pre-filing overestimation or overpayment of taxes.
Normal tax refunds are part of the bankruptcy estate and debtors must turn over future tax refunds to the bankruptcy trustee. However, the 2008 tax rebate is not in the nature of a true refund, akin more to governmental free money as there is no underlying overpayment of taxes.
Since the answer may be subjectively based on the perception and views of your bankruptcy trustee, I suggest that you solicit the services of your attorney to inquire the trustee about his or her position on the pressing issue. My guess is that more likely than not, because you are already in the midst of Chapter 13 restructuring, you should be able to keep at least part of your stimulus tax rebate. However, in the interest of the estate, the trustee will likely want to intercept your tax rebate check and review the amount on a case by case scenario before releasing any amount to you (if release is the approach the trustee is willing to agree to).
However, that’s just my view.
March 7th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
My husband and i filed MFJ and income over $174,000. we have 1 child will we get a check on the childs behalf?
March 7th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Maria,
Since you and your husband exceed the married filing jointly threshold, you will not qualify for the tax rebate. Your extra qualified child rebate of $300 will phase out completely if your Adjusted Gross Income is $180,000 or more. Anything less than that, you may get a partial tax rebate.
March 8th, 2008 at 1:34 am
bankruptcy excludes EIC child credit from tax refunds sent to trustee. why not the stimulus rebate??
March 8th, 2008 at 2:52 am
M.J.,
Whether the earned income credit (EIC) is permissibly exempt from your bankruptcy trustee’s control is dependent on your state’s relevant laws and the court’s interpretation. Some states have enacted statutes expressly excluding “public assistance benefits” from bankruptcy collection (presumably that includes the earned income credit). But not all states provide for this EIC exemption in bankruptcy matters.
I do not have a definitive answer to your question, but it’s definitely a legal question a bankruptcy attorney may be able to more competently respond to.
If I had to make an assessment though, I would probably say that the tax rebate might not be exempted as a public assistance benefit under any relevant state EIC exemption because the tax rebate is also claimable by higher income individuals. Even married filing jointly couples with one child who have adjusted gross incomes of $174,000 a year qualify for the tax rebate. In contrast, the earned income tax credit only benefits very low income families.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
i made exactly 2958 in 2007, should i wait to file my taxes till next year, or will i still get my 300 dollar rebate check
March 10th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Ashraf,
Because your 2007 adjusted gross income is less than $3000, you will not qualify for the tax rebate this time around.
I would wait until 2009 to file your 2008 tax return and claim it then. Hopefully you should earn enough to qualify at that time.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:07 am
my hubby and I filed chapter 13 in 2004, we do not get tax refunds anymore, they go to the bankruptcy courts. According to the calculator, we qualify for a rebate but will we get one or will it go to the trustee?
March 11th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Brandy,
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide you or your hubby a very definitive answer. It will depend on the practice and views of your Chapter 13 trustee. Normal tax refunds are part of the usual bankruptcy estate and debtors must turn over future tax refunds to the bankruptcy trustee. However, the 2008 tax rebate is not in the nature of a true refund, akin more to some special governmental type assistance as there is no underlying overpayment of taxes.
Since the answer may be based on the perception and views of your bankruptcy trustee, I suggest that you solicit the services of your attorney to inquire the trustee about his or her position on the issue. Because you are already in the midst of Chapter 13 repayment, my initial assessment is that you should be able to keep at least part of your stimulus tax rebate. However, in the interest of the estate, the trustee will likely want to intercept your tax rebate check and review the amount case by case before releasing any amount to you.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
My husband and I are retirees. No working income but we have withrew $50000
from IRA and some investment income. We paid $5000 for 2007 federal income tax. Do we get tax rebate aand how much?
March 11th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Lee,
Your IRA withdrawal counts as ordinary income towards your adjusted gross income (AGI) on your tax return. Thus, presuming you went ahead and filed your tax return as married filing jointly, you will be entitled to a stimulus rebate check of $1,200.
You indicated “$50000 from IRA and some investment income.” You did not indicate how much the other investment income came out to be, but I am presuming it did not bump your total AGI past $150,000.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
My husbands and my AGI was around 47000, and we have 3 qualifying children so I think we are entitled to the rebate. I have filed an injured spouse claim but have not heard anything yet. If our tax return was taken for back child support that my husband owes, will we lose our rebate check as well?
March 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
J Marie,
Because there is a child support lien on your husband’s income tax refunds, your economic stimulus tax rebate check will likely be intercepted as well, that is, unless your injured spouse claim prevails.
If you live in a community property state (such as Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin), community assets, including a joint refund, can generally be offset to pay the liabilities of either spouse. However, filing a successful Injured Spouse claim on Form 8379 in a community property state may entitle you to recover 50% of any refund or rebate coming to you.
In non-community property states, the IRS runs an algorithm to determine what part of the refund is due to the income, deductions, and credits of each spouse. The share of the refund that is attributable to the injured spouse gets refunded to him or her, and the rest is used to offset the debt of the other spouse. The tax rebate checks will likely be subject to the same process. It will get offset but you should be able to get part of it with an injured spouse claim.
However, the IRS has not specifically addressed this issue yet.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
I am 18 years of age and although I work, I can still be claimed as a dependent. Am I entitled to a rebate?
March 11th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Amy,
If your parents filed taxes and properly claimed you as a dependent for tax deduction purposes, you are disqualified from receiving a tax stimulus check even though you may have had earned income in 2007 that exceeded $3,000. However, if you are merely dependent on your parents for some financial support and they DID NOT actually claim you as a dependent for tax purposes, then you may be entitled to a rebate.
Please also note that because your age already exceeds 17 years, your parents, even if they were to claim you as a dependent, would not be entitled to the extra $300 child tax rebate on your behalf.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Hi-
I filed my 2007 taxes already and qualified for a return. Unfortunatly for me, I got behind on a student loan and now they are taking that from my paycheck and they also applied my FULL tax return to that loan.
Given the fact that the IRS applied my return to that loan, would I still qualify for the tax releif check?
March 13th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Patrick,
Because your student loans are currently in default, there is a student loan lien being placed on any IRS income tax refund coming to you. Your economic stimulus tax rebate check will likely be intercepted and taken as well. Unless the student loan debt is paid off or missed payments are made current, your economic stimulus rebate will likely be swiped to pay for the outstanding loan.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
i was wondering if you might be able to tell me how much my husband and i might get back on our rebate check if any at all. our total AGI was $22,718 and we have two kids i also do not work so we filed MFJ.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Mal,
For your AGI of $22,718 and presuming you paid taxes on that and properly claimed your two children as dependents under the ages of 17, you and your husband should receive a total tax rebate check of: $1,800.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
My parents are both disabled, and they get SSI.. they do get more than 3,000 a year each in disability benefits (SSI benefits).
BUT they also get welfare (foodstamps and cash assistance) for my two sisters, one is 17 and one is 15.
They usually don’t file taxes, because of their situations.
Should they file? wll they get any money from the stimulus? AND if they do will they have to report it to their welfare agency and will their benefits be reduced?
March 13th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Roxy,
I am not certain whether your parents will need to report the tax rebate to their welfare agency, but I would have a very difficult time believing that the welfare agency would reduce their benefits based on a governmental nation wide plan to issue free money to all qualifying lower income taxpayers. The economic stimulus plan was meant to target and benefit lower income people. I do not think the welfare agency will reduce their governmental assistance because of the tax rebate.
To qualify for the tax rebate, your parents will most definitely have to file their 2007 tax return even if they ordinary do not do so due to their lower income situation. If they do not file, they will not receive a rebate check, even if they were entitled to receive one.
Because Social Security disability income has been specially included as income for tax rebate purposes, they will likely qualify for a rebate amount. The amount will depend of whether they owed any taxes for 2007. If they did, their joint tax rebate amount (including the child rebate for your presumably dependent sister under the age of 17) will be: $900 if they DID NOT pay taxes, or $1,500 if they DID pay taxes.
I am assuming you cannot be properly claimed as an under-17 dependent child.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
I have a slightly unusual case. I am SSI repecient however I am legaly claimed under IRS rules as a dependent. ( I am listed as other) I am concerned that by filing I can hurt the one who claims me, financialy. Yet I am not sure whether or not she could receive additional money because I am not a under 17yr old child, but a dependent no the less.
what is the options for this case?
Thanks
D. D.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Donna,
Whether you file your own tax return or not has no tax rebate bearing on the person claiming you as a dependent for deduction purposes. However, because the $300 child rebate is limited only to those under age 17, the person claiming you will not be entitled to the extra child rebate.
Furthermore, because someone else is claiming you as a dependent, you will not be permitted to receive a stimulus rebate for yourself. The economic stimulus bill specifically makes dependents ineligible for the tax rebate. Thus, you do not need to worry that your own filing will harm the other person’s tax rebate qualification.
March 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I am a qualifying widow with a dependent child under the age of 17 and a 2007 AGI of approximately $105,000. Do I qualify for the economic stimulus rebate or not?
March 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Christy,
As a single filer with an under 17 child and an AGI of $105,000, you are completely phased out according to the economic stimulus brackets. You will not be entitled to receive a tax rebate check.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I am disputing a tax liability with the IRS because the liability isn’t mine, its due to someone illegally using my information without my knowlege. I am also in the middle of filing chapter 7 with the tax liability included in it because the petition said I had to include all tax debts even if I am disputing them. I receive disability payments and am not usually required to file and I want to know if I will get a stimulus payment if I file.
March 17th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Rachel,
I am not clear whether you have filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy already or whether you are merely in the process of getting ready to file for Chapter 7.
If you are planning to file bankruptcy before you receive your economic stimulus tax rebate, the tax rebate is a potential asset that should be listed on your bankruptcy filing paperwork. If you are filing Chapter 7, you may be required to turn all or part of the rebate over to your trustee unless it can be successfully claimed as exempt under the laws applicable in your jurisdiction. Federal and state laws provide different exemption rules, although some states allow you to utilize federal exemptions if they are more favorable.
Whether the tax rebate is exempt is a question your bankruptcy attorney will be more qualified to answer. Some states provide exemptions for public benefits, including public assistance (welfare), social security and unemployment compensation. I am unable to give a definite answer as to whether the stimulus tax rebate qualifies as a public benefit however.
March 17th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I have filed 2007 tax returns (married filing jointly) and got a refund already. My AGI is $74000. My wife doesn’t have SSN and so I filed it using ITIN. I heard that IRS will not pay any rebate if ITIN is used in the tax filing. I have a child of 1 year age. What will happen in my case?
Note: My daughter and I have SSN’s.
Thanks
Tony
March 17th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Tony,
Your exact question has been perfectly addressed by the IRS as one of their official frequently asked questions. Take a look here (link).
To summarize, if you filed single with only a Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), you will not be entitled to a stimulus tax payment since only those with a valid Social Security Number (SSN) are qualified to receive one.
If married filing jointly, both taxpayers must have valid Social Security Numbers. If only one spouse has a valid Social Security Number and the other only has an ITIN, jointly, you will not get a stimulus payment.
However, Tony, if you file your own separate return instead, you may qualify for a payment, based on your own income credits and deductions. You may also claim your daughter for the child rebate if you submit your federal tax return as married filing separately, since she has a valid SSN. Good luck
March 18th, 2008 at 7:52 am
I have retained a lawyer for chapter 7 bankruptcy.Will I get a rebate?My husbands on disibility.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Diane,
I would need to have more details regarding your situation to clarify a proper response. I would need to know your total Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and whether you have actually filed Chapter 7 yet.
To give you some general guidance, I am presuming you have sufficient AGI to get over the tax rebate threshold, and I am also presuming you have not yet filed Chapter 7 but have merely retained a bankruptcy attorney.
However, even if you are entitled to a tax rebate check, it is likely your tax rebate payment will be classified as a potential asset and listed on your bankruptcy claim. You may be required to turn all or part of the rebate payment over to your trustee unless you can properly claim exemption based on the laws applicable in your jurisdiction.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Thanks for the clarification!
We are in the process of applying for an EAD for my wife and then get an SSN.
I would like to know if I can claim this stimulus payment by filing an amendment later this year, after my wife receives SSN. If it is not possible this year by an amendment, can we claim it next year as part of 2008 tax filing.
I appreciate your help!
Thanks
Tony
March 18th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Tony,
If you can’t claim a rebate now, you can claim it later.
The stimulus rebate everyone will be receiving shortly is actually an accelerated tax rebate for 2008. Thus if you don’t claim it during this year, when you file your 2008 federal tax return on April 15, 2009, you can claim it then. The IRS is simply giving taxpayers the option of claiming it now rather than at the later time.
If you can’t qualify for the tax rebate at the present time you can claim it when you file your 2008 tax return. As for filing a 1040X amended return if your wife receives a SSN during this year, I would certainly go ahead and do that. At the very least, your tax rebate check will merely be delayed. Better late than never!
March 18th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Our trustee ( BK13 ) does not request our refunds each year. We can keep them. I was also told that we can keep our stimulus, so I guess it is PER district.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:09 am
I am a student that made about 20,000 last year. However, I also took out 8,500 in Stafford subsidized loans. Do the loans affect whether or not I can receive a rebate? Thanks!
March 19th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Ben,
Your Stafford subsidized student loans have no bearing on you receiving your economic stimulus payment, unless they are currently overdue. Since you are still a student, I presume they are not. You should qualify for a tax rebate.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I heard that the tax rebate checks are comming out of our 2009 tax refund, is that true? Is this really not free money?
March 19th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Andrea,
The current economic stimulus payment is an accelerated rebate from your future 2008 tax return. The IRS is simply giving you the option of claiming it now, rather than at the later time. It is indeed “free money”. The rumors that the tax rebate will be deducted from your 2008 tax refund are false.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
my daughter recently divorced has no income except ssi diability on a 3 yr old child. Former husband owes back child support on child that is now almost 19. Exwife has attached his fed tax returns for the past 5 yrs and state refunds. This year he filed taxes and claimed the 3 yr old. He has a refund of approx.500.00 dollars will he be eligible for the rebate for him and the child? What sould my daughter do about her filing a fed refund for herslef? Can she file for the earned income credit on her child she is raising now or in the future?Will she be eligible for the rebate this yr?
March 19th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Kathy,
Your case has multiple issues and questions that would be more competently addressed by a tax attorney. I’m unable to offer you an accurate opinion at this time due to the lack of further details.
However either way, in accordance with their dependent tie breaker rules, the IRS will likely want to ask both parties for information to determine who is properly entitled to claim the 3 year old child as a dependent.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I owe this year, will my tax rebate be applied to the balance due if I have not paid the taxes in full?
March 20th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Katy,
Normally the IRS has to issue you a tax assessment and formal Notice and Demand for Payment before it will start taking your tax refunds to satisfy the outstanding tax liability. I anticipate the tax rebate to be the same. You will likely receive the rebate despite owing taxes for the year. However, bear in mind that if it’s left unpaid, you will receive a tax bill that includes interest and penalties. Thus you should try to pay off your tax liability sooner than later.
March 20th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Retained lawyer for chapter 7 bankruptcy.We have no tax liability.Havent filed in years.Living off disibility.So,can we claim stimulus rebate.Even with the means test for my bankruptcy it would still pass.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Diane,
I would need to know the total amount of your disability income to tell you whether you qualify for a stimulus payment at all, but I presume you have enough to qualify for one.
Whether your Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing will affect your stimulus payment depends on whether you’ve already filed your bankruptcy claim or not. Since you’ve only retained the lawyer, I presume you haven’t filed yet. If you are already in a bankruptcy, the tax rebate may have no affect on you at all. If you are filing a Chapter 7 claim, you may be required to turn all or part of the stimulus rebate over to your Chapter 7 trustee, unless the amount can be claimed as exempt under the laws applicable in your jurisdiction.
March 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I am on disablity, my wife makes the bulk of our income. I have a tax offset, but for the last 5 years we have recieved 100% of our refund because she makes the most money, and my ssa-1099 does not seam to be enough to count.
We have already filed or 2007 taxes and recieved our refund last week, again we recieved 100% of the line 73 amount. we do file a injured spouse form each year.
since we have already filed, and the injured spouse form was included, do we need to file anything further? I have read that they will take 50% of the stimulus payment. Will this be the case for us since we always recieve 100% of our tax refunds?
thank you in advance.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Eric,
Since you indicate that for the last few years the IRS has let you keep nearly 100% of your joint tax refund due to your wife’s injured spouse claim, I presume you are living in a non community property state that assesses refunds based on income proportionality. Thus, based on your situation and the facts you’ve provided, my assessment is that you should receive nearly 100% of your joint tax rebate as well. If you’ve already submitted the injured spouse form, you’ve done all that you can do for now. Just hang tight until May.
March 22nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
I went through a divorce last year after 15 years of marriage. When I filed taxes in February, my refunds were taken by the IRS to offset debt from previous years that I knew nothing about. To make a long story short, I have filed for Innocent Spouse which is in review now. I’m confused about what happens now in regard to “collections” while the case is in review (which accoding to sites I have read can take up to 1 year). The IRS site states that once you have filed for the Innocent Spouse, all collections are stopped until a determination is made. Does this mean that they will not take the Stimulus check due myself and my children?
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:16 pm
An injured spouse form adds 4-8 weeks to your return. the earlier you file it the faster you get your return.
I’m no pro, but you need to find out what the debt is, and who caused it. you will have to prove it was not your fault for the debt to get any refund. You will need to hire a CPA if you possible can.
March 23rd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
sorry this is not laid out proper, it is bits from several letters I have written in the last few days.
Here is where we stand today, I guess we are somewhat lucky. My parents are letting us use their CPA to handle the matter since we can get nowhere tring to deal withthe issue ourselves.
We had a tax issue back in 2002, the ohio dept of taxation and the ohio attorney generals office have colected close to 2 grand on a tax for that was filed on a normal state form instead of a part year resident form. Indiana was fine with us filing the wrong form over there. where we made 85% of our income. All the numbers we and are to this day right, I just used the wrong form, when I recieved the letter saying they redid my taxes, I believed we had fullfiled our obligation to the state. We have filled and recieved refunds every year since.
Then they say the tried to contact us, but did not have our address and or phone number. I explained both were on each 1099 we filed since 2002. they could not find us till 5 years later? gimmie a break.
Ohio saw that the amount we claimed was what we made in ohio, and since it did not line up with the IRS number, they redid or taxes for use, and said we owed 256 bucks, instead of 168 refund. we mailed a check for 256 the next day and have the original copy of the canceled check. they dropped it till this year, but have taken close to $2000 between then and what the bill we recieved this year was for. we have copies of every letter and phone call with names and dates we made to ohio.
the ohio dept of taxes and the attorney general both have different ammounts we owe, and they are not even close to each other.
when I went back over it, we did everything right (they owe us the 168 refund from 2002.) and they owe us close to $2000 that they have taken from us against the law.
My parents set us up with a appointment with their CPA, he is good, their returns involve millions of dollars every year.
Since I am disabled, and have had to deal with their harassment for 6 years, I wonder if I can sue the Ohio dept of taxation and or the attorney generals office, and for what amount. I hope he says we can sue them, I know you cant sue the IRS, but I read you can sure state level.
I believe we are due $30,000 in interest, lost wages, and time, plus pain and suffering.
Does anyone know if I can and for how much? they owe me $2100 bucks, plus I want interest, they charged interest and assorted fees, for the amount they said we owed them(close to $500), they would never say what the assorted fees were. they just kept transfering me between the two agencies, I guess hoping I would give up and just pay them more money they have been stealing from my family. this is theft plan and simple in my eyes, no different than someone stealing my identity and racking up bills.
We were forced into bankruptcy in 2003, and are now behind on credit card debt close to $3000, because we did not recieve money legally due us by the state.
I had to see my doctor several times to deal with the stress and was put on 3 medications from the trama. I have doctors that will back me up on this.
March 25th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I have a friend that is on disability benefits and (SSI benefits).but she did not make $3000.00 on disablity and was told she can not count ssi because they do not send a 1099 on it. But she did make $200.00 over the year baby sitting my kids here and there can she clam that even though I did not send her a w2 form?
March 25th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I would becareful about reporting any income, especially because she is on SSI. they can yank that check at any moment. its not like regular disability. I qualified for SSI for 1 month, the next my wife got a job and they pulled my SSI the day she was hired. There is a “free legal advice” site on the net. the people wit alot of posts are attnys. I think you have to register, but then find the section her question is about, SSI, and ask away, make sure to post the state she lives in so the advice given will be based on case law for her state.
Hope it helps.
March 26th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Tammy,
Eric’s opinion is something your friend definitely should think about. Other than the social security income (SSI), if your friend reports additional earned income made through so-called under the table means, she may be placing her qualified SSI benefits in jeopardy.
If your friend is intent on qualifying for the tax rebate however, most income sources can be counted for tax rebate income qualification purposes, including your friend’s babysitting income. She’ll just have to add up enough to hit the magic number of $3,000.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hi I have a story like tammy, I am a mother of two, me and my husband was broke up before 2007 I am on ssi and disability my son he is 14 and cut grass last summer made about $50.00 I did not make $3000.00 by $39 can I claim his money?
March 26th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Joy,
You can only claim your child’s unearned investment income on your own tax return. Unearned investment income includes dividends, interest, and capital gain distributions, but does not cover earned income sources like wages from lawn mowing or babysitting. You will be unable to include your son’s wages on your own federal tax return for tax rebate qualification purposes.
March 26th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
ok thanks What about yard sale money would that count on the economic stimulus rebate check?
March 26th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Joy,
Generally, all profits from garage and yard sales are considered taxable income. However, the profit is only the excess part that exceeds the basis of the sold items. The basis cost is the price that you originally paid for the item. Since the vast majority of garage and yard sale items are sold at heavily discounted prices, most of the so-called profit is in fact a loss – not resulting in taxable income. An exemption of course would be if the yard sale item was a fancy art painting that had appreciated in value. Any excess gain from the sale then would obviously be considered income.
In your case, I am presuming you did not sell a product that had appreciated in value. Thus, you probably didn’t generate taxable income from your sale and wouldn’t have extra income to contribute towards the tax rebate income qualification threshold.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:48 am
any income gain would have to have hppened in 2007 as well. you cant claim money made in 2008 on your 2007 tax return.
just FYI
March 27th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I just got married 8/31/2007 and filed married filing seperate. My AGI calculated at 38,000 because I had to withdraw a retirement fund of 8,000 and my husband made roughly $22,000. My questions are 1)Do we both qualify for the Economic Stimulus rebate check? and if so what amount would each of us be entitled to?
2) We have one child together and I claimed our child our on my return because my AGI was more than my husband’s. Will I recieve a credit for our child and what amount should I expect?
March 27th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
M. Deas,
The IRS has a useful and on-point tax rebate posting about the tax rebate effects of those submitting their tax returns as “married filing separately”. Check out Example #6.
In response to your specific questions:
Based on the information provided, yes – you and your husband both qualify for a tax rebate. Presuming you both paid taxes, with you claiming the child as a dependent, you should receive $900 – the basic stimulus payment of $600 plus $300 for the child. Your husband, filing as married filing separately as well, should receive a $600 stimulus payment.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:11 am
I am a 21 year old student who let my parents claim me this year because they said they would pay the difference. I made over $13000 and they keep telling me that I would only get $300 if I were to claim myself…. I keep telling them I would get the $600. I had taxes withdrawn from my checks and such but I ended up getting a refund from both state and federal. What do you think? They trying to screw me over or what? I am single. They said something with the student part has something to do with me only getting the $300… Set me straight please.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:28 am
James,
Based on the information you’ve provided, I believe you are correct, and your parents’ statements regarding the tax rebate are wrong. Based on your income of around $13,000 with taxes paid, you are well within the qualification limits for a $600 economic stimulus rebate.
Your student status has no effect on your tax rebate qualification. However, because your parents claimed you as a dependent, this will effectively disqualify you from receiving any rebate. I hope you guys can sort things out. Your parents can always file a 1040X to amend their return.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I have a lien on tax returns due to child support, if I don’t pay owed taxes on April 15th, will the stimulus payment go towards my owed taxes or go to my exwife for back childsupport
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
D McMillan,
I am not entirely clear what you mean by “If I don’t pay owed taxes on April 15th”.
If you don’t file your taxes at all, you will not receive a stimulus payment at all since filing is a requirement to receiving a rebate. If you do file though, since there is a lien on your tax returns, the stimulus payment will be intercepted to satisfy the child support debt like any other tax refund.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:17 pm
My husband and I filled MFJ we have 2 kids under 17. Our AIG was 35,000 and we already filled or taxes a couple of months ago. I’m a stay at home mom with no income. ($1,800 back right?)
But I have a quick question. I know family members have received a letter in the mail stating that they qualify for the rebate and this has been about a week ago. We haven’t received this letter and I’m a little conserned should I be?
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Jessica,
I wouldn’t worry about not having received the letter. The letter was a standard template letter with no new information. It doesn’t indicate that you actually qualify for a rebate, but is merely a reminder notice to file your taxes if you want to qualify for a tax rebate payment.
Take a look at the IRS letter’s contents in this article.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Regarding D McMillan’s post from April 1st, 2008 at 1:28 pm — Raymond, I think I understand her/his question because I’m in a similar situation and I’d like to restate the question. I owe for 2007 taxes but can’t pay the amount until I get another job (I was laid off a few months ago). So when I file the 2007 tax return but don’t pay the taxes owed (yet), will the stimulus rebate be applied to the amount owed for my 2007 taxes OR to the past-due debt (in my case a very old student loan in default, in DM’s case above it’s child support) for which there is already a tax lien? For the past 5 years or so, all my tax refunds have been applied to the old student loan, FYI. Thanks in advance for your reply.
Incidentally, for anyone who’s currently getting a student loan: pay it off as soon as you can! Mine has followed me for 26 years so far, believe it or not, and although it was originally for a small amount, over time it has ballooned from the interest charges and I now owe more than ten times the original amount — and counting. It’s in collections now and although the IRS sends a letter each year saying that the refund was used to offset the loan, the amount of those refunds ($1,000 last year alone) does not show up on the collections statements. It’s difficult to determine who actually holds the debt, but the IRS takes my money each year while the collections company just keeps increasing the amount. The amount owed never goes down, only up. So yeah, learn from my mistake if you can. It’s been the biggest financial albatross of my life, and will never go away. Even if I were to claim bankruptcy, student loan debts are not eligible for discharge so I will always owe them no matter what. And I don’t make enough money to actually pay them off. Depressing!
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I owe a Hospital bill that is from a State teaching hospital and they always keep our State Refund. So will they also keep the tax rebate check. Thanks
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
My husband owes student loans. They always keep his tax refunds. I did not file Injured Spouse for 2007 because we owed back taxes from 2006. My 2007 refund was automatically applied to my owed taxes and they are now paid in full.
I will need to file Injured Spouse to get my portion and my child’s portion of the rebate, but do I file it now or should I wait until I get a letter from the IRS stating that our rebate was applied to his outstanding loans?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I should have added that we filed jointly because I knew that all of the refund would go to back taxes, but I didn’t realize the rebate would go toward his loans. We just got married in 2007 so his refunds have always gone toward his loans.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Tammy,
If you want to shield your portion of the tax rebate from your husband’s old unpaid student loans, you should file the injured spouse form with your tax return before the April 15 deadline. The rebate amount you get back will depend on whether you reside in a community property state or not.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:11 am
My husband had some old medical bills go to collections with our states Attorney Generals office. They have taken our state refund for the last two years and applied it to that debt. Will they take the tax stimulus check as well? We file Married Filing Jointly and our income is below $75,000 together.
Thanks,
Rachel
April 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Rachel,
I am a bit puzzled as to why your husband’s unpaid medical bills would result in a federal tax refund lien. Generally, tax refunds are not captured for private and commercial debts. Was there a seizure order against one of your bank accounts where the tax refunds were being deposited into?
Just for your information – for tax lien purposes, the stimulus payment is treated like any other tax refund. This means that part or all of your payment can be used to pay past due federal or state income taxes or non-tax federal debt such as student loans and child support. If this occurs, you will receive a letter explaining how the stimulus payment was applied.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I made a little less than $2,700 after taxes, but a little over $3,200 before taxes. Will I receive a stimulus check?
April 4th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Jordan,
I presume the amount you’ve listed are earned income amounts from qualifying sources such as wages. If so, you made enough to cross the $3,000 initial income threshold for tax rebate qualification. If you are single, you will receive a $300 stimulus payment.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:20 am
i have 3 questions for you,
i am a single mother of 3 and the father of my children claimed 2 of our kids, because made more money for the year of 07 than did. with me claiming only one of my children and earning less than 3,000 this year will i qualify for the rebate check?
i was fired from my job when i became pregnant with my 3rd child and collected public assistance from mar. 07- jan 07 does my public assistance get counted as earned income even though it was not claimed on my 07 return?
if so and i do qualify for the rebate heres the 3rd question for you,
i have a student loan in default, but it did not effect my 07 refund nor did they start to garnish my wages at my current job, will my free rebate (if i qualify) be effected by this loan in default?
April 5th, 2008 at 12:22 am
please notify me of my comment via e-mail and on your website
April 5th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Kia,
1) If your earned income was truly less than $3,000 for 2007, you will not clear the basic qualifying income eligibility to receive a stimulus payment.
2) When you mention “public assistance”, I presume you are referring to either unemployment benefits or welfare benefits based on need. Neither of them are considered earned income for tax rebate purposes and will not help you clear the initial qualifying income hurdle. However, if your public assistance was comprised of Social Security benefits it might…
But either way, if you had taxable income, the amount would need to be reported on your federal tax return to be counted towards your $3,000 tax rebate income goal.
3) If you haven’t received an IRS Notice of Federal Tax Lien due to student loan default yet, you are probably okay for now. But eventually they will go after your future tax refunds.
April 5th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
thank you
April 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
me and my husband filed our income taxes in feb. my question z that we made a total of 15227.00 last year what amount will me and him recieve plus we have two kids
April 6th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Deanne,
Based on your income, I estimate you should receive a $1,800 stimulus payment – $1,200 for married filing jointly and 2 sets of $300 for each kid.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
I’m 24 yrs old. I’m in law school. I have no children. I am not claimed as a dependent. I had student loans, but that shouldn’t matter. I made $0. As I understand it, I don’t get any rebate. But, do I need to file any taxes at all, or can I just not do anything, and be willy-nilly until April 15, ‘09? Thanks.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Emmarie,
I’m sorry you are in law school. As a recovering young attorney (late 20’s), I have a somewhat jaded and pessimistic view of the legal profession.
But back to the tax rebate question – if you have no income during 2007, you pay no income tax. If you make anything during 2008 however, you may qualify for the tax rebate on April 15, 2009. That’s because the tax rebate may either be claimed in 2008 or 2009 – the IRS is giving us that option
April 9th, 2008 at 11:06 am
My wife has four credit cards that were run up and left to her by her ex-husband over five years ago. HE filed for bankruptcy last year and thus she was left with the debt. All of these cards are now in collections. Will we still get our rebate check since we filed jointly?
April 9th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Mike,
Although the credit cards may currently be in collection status, generally tax refunds may not be intercepted by private entities to satisfy outstanding debt (only the state and the federal government can). The tax rebate is treated the same way as a tax refund for lien purposes.
Thus I would not worry about the credit card company intercepting your tax rebate payment. However, do note that if they haven’t already done so, they may have already placed liens on your existing bank checking or savings, and may grab the tax rebate when you deposit the amount into one of those accounts.
April 9th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
i have not filed bankruptcy yet, however, i am in the process of filling out the paperwork. i am married, but i am filing, not my husband, on debt acquired before our marriage. will my bankruptcy affect our tax rebate? should i wait to file until we have received the rebate?
April 9th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Candice,
Are you filing for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy? The results and effects will differ.
If you are filing a Chapter 7, you will likely lose your economic stimulus tax rebate if you file for bankruptcy protection prior to receiving it. You will likely be required to turn over all or part of the rebate check to your Chapter 7 trustee unless it can otherwise be successfully claimed as exempt under federal and state laws.
If you wait till shortly after you receive your tax rebate to file for bankruptcy, the rebate check will likely be included as income for purposes of running the means test to see if you qualify for filing Chapter 7 to begin with.
Chapter 13 may be slightly different. The effects would depend on how your bankruptcy trustee decides to treat the rebate. The case would obviously be moot if he or she deems the economic stimulus tax rebate as an exempt asset from trustee control.
It’s a broad question…thus it’s best to ask your bankruptcy attorney on this matter.
April 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Raymond.
Had to file for an extension this year and was wondering how filing that would affect me getting the rebate check. I have read different versions of what might happen on line and was wondering what was the truth. I tried looking through the IRS site but did not find a definite answer.
Can you shed some light on this please. Great site, thanks a ton.
Dave
April 10th, 2008 at 3:33 am
Dave,
The IRS wants to encourage everyone to file by the normal April 15 tax deadline since the sooner you file, the sooner you can receive your stimulus payment.
The closest IRS answer I can find in response to your question is here:
“People who file a return after April 15 will receive their economic stimulus payment, but probably about two weeks later than the schedule shows. A return must be filed by October 15 in order to receive a stimulus payment this year. See the online calculator for an estimate of the amount you will receive.”
April 10th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Thanks so much Raymond!!! I appreciate your time! Mike
April 10th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
So…let me try again. For several years my tax refunds have been intercepted to pay an old student loan. Pretty straightforward. For the 2007 return, however, instead of a refund I will actually owe taxes, which I cannot afford to pay (I was laid off recently). When I file, and don’t include a check, I am curious to know if the stimulus payment will be applied to the 2007 taxes or to the previously mentioned old student loan. How can I find that out? I’ve searched but can’t find any information. Any info is appreciated. Thanks.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Fifi,
Oops sorry…your previous question somehow fell through the cracks..
Well your student loan tax lien and your 2007 unpaid tax liability will be treated separately. Your unpaid student loans will get first priority because they are currently in active collection mode. Your unpaid 2007 taxes don’t enter collections until the IRS has given you several warning letters and the opportunity to pay them in full.
Because the tax rebate is treated the same way as a tax refund, you can expect your tax rebate to be intercepted by the IRS and paid towards your old student loans. The IRS will send you a later detailing the treatment of your tax rebate.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Just a few questions I retired in 2002 and receive a partial pension of about $13,000 I have not filed a tax return since receiving the partial pension. When I contacted the pension board they would not give me a 1099 and when I explained to them that I had not filed an income tax for the last 5 years they wouldn’t give me a 1099r but they did send me a monthly income verification. Can I use this to file my own income tax without the 1099 or 1099r? From what I have read I do qualify for the $600 and I do have a child that I am the custodial parent that lives with me so I will qualify for the $300 also right? Thanks for any help on this matter……
April 10th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Billbob,
Yes, you can use the monthly income verification to file your taxes.
Unless your taxable pension arises from Social Security, railroad retirement, or Veteran Affair benefits…your pension will not be considered earned income for tax rebate purposes. However, if you are paying taxes on it, in some cases it doesn’t matter whether the taxable income is earned or unearned. You should still file as the IRS may just go ahead and count it towards the tax rebate threshold. The treatment onus is on the IRS since they are running the calculations automatically for you.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Just one question as long as you are on SSI and make over $3000 you are eligible right? I read the whole post and that is what I got out of it, also how do I file without a 1099…thanks so much…
April 11th, 2008 at 4:41 am
Conny,
When you say SSI – are you referring to social security income or are you referring to supplemental security income? Since you seem to suggest that you did not get a Form SSA-1099 reporting your Social Security benefit information, I suspect you are actually receiving supplemental security income. Supplemental security income does not count towards the tax rebate qualifying threshold.
But if by SSI you are referring to Social Security benefits, then yes, you seem to have enough for the rebate. To file without your 1099, you may be able to get the benefit paid information from your bank statements perhaps. You don’t usually need to attach a 1099 form to your return, except when you receive a Form 1099-R that shows income tax withheld.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:56 am
i’m a single mom who recieves childsupport and a ssi check for my daughter and i was just wondering if i will get a rebate check?
April 11th, 2008 at 10:57 am
forgot to let u know i don’t work.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Thanks for the info Raymond, my partial pension is from a state goverment agency. When I first received my pension, I was asked if I wanted to file income tax yearly and with nothing to gain from it I told them no. The partial pension I receive I do not pay any taxes on it…so will go ahead and file anyway …..thanks…
April 11th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Question:
My mother is on Social Security, she got the form from them and says she earned 8000 for the year.
My father is on disability and he didn’t qualify (he was told that by the SS office).
My sister turned 18 this month, and is still in high school. Not working or anything.
My other sister is 16, also in HS and not working either.
My mom is doing her taxes, to qualify for the stimulus.
Can she includie my dad on her taxes? Or does he have to do them and see if he qualifies by himself?
How much will she get? I had heard that she would only get money for ONE child since the other one was already 17.
Thanks.
Suzy
April 11th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Suzy,
I’m not sure what you mean when you say that your father didn’t qualify. He didn’t qualify for SS?
Either way, your parents can submit their joint tax return as married filing jointly. They can pool their combined Social Security benefits, if any, on their joint tax return to qualify for the tax rebate. While not always taxable, Social Security income is counted as qualifying income for tax rebate purposes. I presume both of them have valid SS numbers.
How much they’ll get will depend on their total adjusted gross income and whether they paid any taxes. You’re probably looking at a $600-$1,200 rebate based on their Social Security situation and joint married status, presuming no other income.
They should be able to add on another $300 for your 16 year old sister. Your 18 year old sister is ineligible for the child rebate because she was not under the age of 17 on December 31, 2007.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
April 11th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
My dad called his local social security admin. office, and was told he didn’t qualify for the stimulus because his income was not from SSI but from disability, and it did not qualify for the stimulus.
In the past my parents had done their income tax as married filing separately, but since they are on disabilyt and ss they haven’t had to do income taxes, so this one time my mom is doing them since she is certain she qualifies for stimulus, and is adding on my dad to her return.
My sister was 17 on Dec. 31 2007, so I guess she is out.
Thanks for your prompt response!
April 11th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
i’m a single stay at home mom who recieves ssi disability for my daughter along with childsupport would i get a rebate check?
April 12th, 2008 at 3:43 am
Susie With An “I”,
Some people use SSI loosely – some use it to refer to Social Security Income while others use it to refer to Supplemental Security Income. Supplemental Security Income is specifically excluded from tax rebate qualification, but Social Security Income may be included. You will need at least $3,000 of qualifying income to pass the initial threshold test for the tax rebate.
Child support does not count as earned income and cannot count towards the $3,000 tax rebate qualification. Since you are currently not working, unless your “SSI” refers to Social Security Income and exceeds $3,000, you will not qualify for a rebate.
I hope that was clear!
April 12th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
My daughter has me as dependent and I receive SS benefits. Do I need to fill the requiered form or does she gets the stimulus check from myself with hers.???
April 13th, 2008 at 2:04 am
Vivian,
Because your daughter claimed you as a dependent for tax purposes, you will not be entitled to a tax rebate payment for yourself. Your daughter will not get any extra tax rebate on your account either.
April 13th, 2008 at 11:41 am
If we owe taxes will we still get a stimulus check or do we have to deduct it from what we owe for the year.
April 13th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Matt,
You should still receive your tax rebate payment as usual. If you have unpaid taxes for 2007, the IRS will send you a separate demand letter for payment. Try to pay off your balance if you can – interest and penalties add up quickly.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Hi,
Thank you im advance for answering these questions. I just want to be clear. I am a stay at home mom , I am the payee for my son’s Supplemental Security Income. My husband and I file MFJ and for the past three years, our taxes have been offset. I don’t have an income. So, is there any point in filling out the Injured spouse form. My son is under 17, so I know we qualify to receive the 300…will they take that as well.
April 13th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Oh and we would have qualified for the 1200 due to our AGI
April 13th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Lana,
I am unclear as to the specifics or details of your tax offset. The only reason you would need to file for injured spouse would be if your joint tax refund was being used to offset the unpaid liability of one spouse to the detriment of the other. Also, since you had no income of your own, an injured spouse claim wouldn’t help you since none of the tax refund was related to your specific income producing efforts.
April 14th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
If we file an extension will we receive the stimulus check or do we need to file the full return before a stimulus check is sent?
April 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Matt,
If you file for an automatic extension, you will not receive your tax rebate payment until you have filed your full tax return.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
i made under 3000 dollers but i have a 8 month old son which i claimed, will i get anything for my son?
April 14th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Tiff,
Because you did not make enough to pass the $3,000 tax rebate qualification amount, you will not be entitled to a rebate payment for either yourself or your son.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
My husband and i filed jointly in CA. He has an overpayment liabilty from unemployment benefits. Our Ca state income tax refund was already intercepted. Will our stimulus check be intercepted as well, even though it isnt a federal debt? Also what if any other state or local debt can be intercepted, what about any court debt?
April 14th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Jean,
As noted by the IRS, under the Financial Management Services (FMS), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, federal tax refunds may be applied as a refund offset to any outstanding Federal tax, non-tax child support, Federal agency non-tax debt, or State income tax obligation prior to crediting the overpayment to a future tax or making a refund.
This program allows for state government agencies to intercept federal income tax refunds and apply them to delinquent state tax.
Since the tax rebate is being treated as a tax refund, I would expect the rebate payment to be intercepted by the state of California in your case.
Whether ordinary court debts may cause your tax refunds to be intercepted will depend on whether they are child support, student loan, or tax related. Private debts generally cannot intercept tax refunds.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:14 am
We filed Chp 13 BK in 2006 – we did get a fed tax refund and it didn’t go to the trustee. We have back taxes that are being paid on thru the BK currently.
Will we receive our “stimulus rebate” or can the trustee actually “intercept” it?
April 15th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Niki,
Did you receive your 2006 tax refund before or after you filed for Chapter 13? Since the tax rebate is being treated the same way as a federal tax refund, I would be interested to know how your trustee treated the refund after you filed for bankruptcy.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I filed my taxes today with a request for a payment plan due to owing for 2007. Will I still get the rebate check or will they keep it.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Nancy,
I presume you have already received your General 30 Day Letter and Notice of Deficiency. Since the tax rebate is being treated like a tax refund, I would expect the IRS to hold your tax rebate payment to be used to pay towards your unpaid tax liability of previous years.
With that said, due to the rapid fire speed at which these rebate payment checks are being hastily sent out, there is somewhat of a likelihood you may still end up receiving your rebate. That might be an oversight on their part however.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
How about if you have a child who was 16 for half the tax year – will they be eligible for the stimulouse credit?
April 15th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Chris,
According to the IRS, to qualify for the $300 child rebate, the child must be under the age of 17 on December 31, 2007. Half of the year doesn’t appear to be good enough for stimulus payment purposes.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I am a single parent of a disabled son age 26 claimed him as a dependent on my 2007 taxes will I be eligible for the 300.00 for him?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
Tammy,
Wow….your name seems to be quite popular and common…lots of Tammy’s have been asking tax rebate questions.
As for the child rebate…unfortunately, the child must be under the age of 17 to qualify.
April 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
between my husband and i we earned 35000 in 2007 will we get a rebate.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Mary,
This one’s easy – Assuming the $35,000 includes at least $3,000 of qualified income (including earned and Social Security) – Yes!
April 17th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
My husband and i filed Chapter 7 in April 2007. The trustee has already taken their cut of my refund. Will i have to turn this over to the trustee as well?
April 17th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Aileen,
It’s hard for me to say for certain whether your trustee will take your tax rebate payment or not. However, since the tax rebate is treated the same as a tax refund, it is reasonable to expect similar treatment as well by the trustee. There is simply somewhat of a subjective element to this.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
If I am single, no kids and AGI is about 33000 and filed taxes will it be 600 or only 300? I keep hearing different things.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Stephanie,
Based on your AGI, your tax rebate should be $600, assuming you had net tax liability of $600 or more.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I am a 28 yr old, full time student with three children, I made less than 3000 because I work only part time as a work study student. I made around 2600 – will they take into consideration the fact I am a full time student? Or will I not get a refund?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Christi,
Unfortunately, your student status has nothing to do with your qualification to receive a tax rebate payment. Because you made less than $3,000 in qualifying income in 2007, you will not be entitled to a tax rebate for yourself or your children. However, if you can make enough in 2008, you may be able to claim a rebate payment on April 15, 2009.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I was receiving Social Security disability. I am now working and repaying a SS overpayment. I am on a payment plan with SS and have not missed any payments. I owed taxes this year which I paid. My question is: Will my rebate be withheld because I am repaying a SS overpayment? I never received a letter from the IRS saying I am getting the stimulus rebate.
Thanks!
April 18th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Lynn,
Most installment payment plans of that type generally have a provision and condition that requires any tax refund due in a future year to be applied against the amount owed. Since the tax rebate is treated the same as a tax refund, I would expect the rebate to be applied towards your unpaid Social Security liability.
By the way, the IRS stimulus rebate notification letter is immaterial. Receiving or not receiving it in no way affects your entitlement to qualify for the tax rebate. If there’s an ultimate offset of your tax rebate, the IRS will mail you an explanation letter at the time you are scheduled to receive it.
April 19th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Hello
My husband and i filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy on march 12. we have all ready went the the meeting of the creditors .we filed under CA Law and they did not say anything about keeping the stimulus plan check do you think they will keep it anyways? how do we find out so we can actually be able to start our life after bankruptcy please help with what you can Thank you Angie
April 20th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Angie,
Was there mention by the trustee of what they intended to do with your anticipated 2007 tax refund if any? Since the tax rebate is treated as a tax refund, if the trustee and creditors have no desire to claim your refund, it is likely your tax rebate may be spared as well. The tax rebate is a bit different from your usual tax refund since it’s not really an overpayment of tax money. Since the rebate is more akin to that of governmental assistance for “lower income” people, it is possible the trustee viewed it as income better served to remain in your hands.
April 22nd, 2008 at 4:19 am
Hello,
Quick question for you. Wife filed MFS and already has her refund and I have yet to turn in my tax return for 2007. She received the generic you might be eligible letter from the IRS already. Is she still eligible for the stimulus refund?
April 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
RJ,
You haven’t filed your taxes yet? It’s already past April 15…better hurry up! Interest and penalties are accruing courtesy of the IRS.
As for the tax rebate question, so long as your wife qualified for the tax rebate under the qualification rules, she’ll receive it in due time. Stimulus payment starts in mid May. The generic “you might be eligible” letter doesn’t actually mean anything.
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:53 am
My husband and I received a notice from the IRS last week stating that they believe we made an error on our 2006 returns, and if so we owe $3000. We have the option of notifying them in writing that we are disputing this, which we are doing. We would qualify for a $1500 stimulus payment – will we still receive it?
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Angela,
The IRS generally does not start intercepting tax refunds to satisfy unpaid tax debt until it has given taxpayers proper notice and the opportunity to respond. Since you are still in the early, active dispute stage, I anticipate you will still receive your tax rebate as scheduled.
Good luck on the dispute. Hope it works out.
April 23rd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I recently file Chapter 13 (March) and owe the IRS a significant amount of money which is included in my payments. I also owe an additonal $300 for 2007 which is also included in payments for 13. What are my chances of receive a stimulus refund?
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Talisha,
Since you have filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy and are currently in the midst of it, it is very likely your tax rebate will be intercepted by the trustee. However, what he or she does with it is subject to some subjective debate. I can see why the trustee would treat it like a tax refund and withhold it from you, but then I can also see why the trustee may want to return the amount to you, viewing it as more of a governmental assistance payment meant to help lower income people.
But if I had to pick one, I would think it’s more likely that your tax rebate will be intercepted by the trustee to pay off your debts.
April 25th, 2008 at 12:18 am
We file jointly and did for ‘07. Already received our refund. If getting a refund, does that mean we are disqualified for the rebate? thanks
April 25th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Carol,
Tax refunds and tax rebates will likely arrive at separate times. If you guys filed your 2007 tax return early, you probably received your tax refund earlier as well. The tax rebates should be arriving during mid-May if you chose direct deposit.
April 25th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
My husband & I owe this year, I filed for a payment extension. The extension deadline is 7/31/08. Will we get our rebate or will it go towards our taxes?
April 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Kris,
If you filed for a hardship extension of time for payment of tax, the stimulus rebate will get applied to your unpaid tax liability and you will not receive a check unless there was excess amount leftover.
April 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
yes i got a refund of 2474 and now i receieved a letter saying i owe 2619 but nothing else has arrived yet 30 day letter or anything else yet. the calcualtor is saying ill get a reabte check of 900 will i still get this rebate check even though i have not received anything else from the irs. the only thing i have gotten is a paper and telling me my refund i got and now i owe so will i still receive my rebate check please let me know or email me thanks
April 25th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Kevin,
Generally, the IRS has to provide you notice and time to respond to the tax liability claim. In this case though, the IRS is being pressured to dish out these stimulus rebates quickly and it’s already getting down to crunch time. I would make an educated wager that it’s more likely you’ll still receive your stimulus rebate at this point.
April 25th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I am currently on a installment plan for repayment of 2006 taxes. I am assuming the IRS will intercept my rebate and apply towards my balance. Am I correct?
April 25th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Brandy,
Yes, you are correct. Unfortunately, Under Form 9465 Installment Agreement Request, there is a condition that states: “Any refund due you
in a future year will be applied against the amount you owe.”
April 25th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
We filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy last week, the first meeting with the trustee isn’t until May 9th to present the proposed plan. Will we have to turn it over to the court or payback any that we spend since our plan hasn’t even been approved yet? Left a message for our attorney but he hasn’t gotten back to us. Thanks.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Rebecca,
That’s hard for me to say for sure. Trustee mindset regarding what to treat as income and asset exempt or not exempt from their control is somewhat subjective. But if you received your tax rebate or tax refund and already spent it prior to filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, in my opinion, it’s unlikely the trustee will force you to compensate. Receiving the refund or stimulus rebate after filing for Chapter 13 may be a different matter.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
I am single, self employed. I made about $2900 income from wages from a part time job and I got about $9000 in alimony. However, because I had huge losses in my business, my AGI was in the negative. I had paid taxes on the part time job. Will I get anything? THANKS and GREAT site to happen upon!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Rhonda,
I’m a bit confused as to your situation. Why would you end up having to pay taxes on your part time job if your total adjusted gross income was in the negative due to business losses?
But looking generally at your numbers, based on what I have, I presume you exceed the $3,000 necessary to qualify for the stimulus rebate. In your situation, you should still receive a $300 stimulus rebate.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:38 am
My husband pays child support for another child other than ours will they (child support) get that or will we get all of if it cause we made between 25000 and 30000
April 26th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Maria Koehne,
If you submitted your tax rebate as married filing jointly, the stimulus rebate will get applied to the unpaid child support. That is, unless you had successfully filed an injured spouse claim so that the qualified portion of your tax rebate will not go to him.
April 26th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
My husband and I filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in January 2008. We filed our tax return as married filing jointly. The Bankruptcy Trustee took our 2007 return. Will they also take the stimulus check? They have not said anything about it to us.
Thanks
April 26th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Angela,
I’m inclined to say no for several reasons. The stimulus rebate was not even passed as law yet in January 2008 when you filed for Chapter 7 and the stimulus rebate is not entirely akin to a tax refund, which is an overpayment of taxes.
April 27th, 2008 at 6:14 am
I live with my bf he claimed me on his taxes ,I recieve SSI now He wont get any rebate for me just himself …am I right? Also if you filed with H&R block and got the rapid refund ….is that considered a paper check ….he had his put on a H&R block credit card…If paper his SS# ends in 75 when can he expect his check….Also my daughter filed on the internet and got a paper check will she gets hers same timeas all paper checks?
April 27th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I filed taxes as a dependent back in februrary($12,000),my dad just filed his on April 15th. Will i receive a check.
April 27th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I am havaing sucha hard time trying to understand why (as of 4/11/08) taxable pensions from employers is not being considered as part of the tax stimulus package. Is there some reasoning behind this? It is all just so inconsistent. People that haven’t paid taxes, and people that make a trememndous amount of money (compared with my paltry pension) earned income and unearned income people will get rebates. Why are pensions excluded as of 4-11-08 ?????
April 27th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I was in Iraq from Nov. 06 until Feb 08. I did not pay state or federal taxes for in 2007. Will I recieve a rebate check? If so, how much should I expect to recieve?
April 27th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
My sister draws (SSI) Social Security Disability. She received approx. 7,500.00 last year. She had no other income, earned or otherwise. Is she entitled to the Stimulas Rebate? And if so, how much?
Thanks.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
According to IRS guidelines, I am not eligible to get the rebate this year as I dont have SSN and filied my taxes using ITIN.
I hope to be eligible for an SSN sometime in 2009. So lets say I get my SSN in May 2009 and my AGI for 2008 is below 75000.
If I file my 2008 taxes after I get my SSN in May 2009, then do I qualify for the rebate OR does the SSN have to be issued in 2008?
April 27th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
My boyfriend owes the IRS it not a lot but he still owes he has set up a payment plan and will start paying in may of 08. Will he be able to receive the 08 tax rebate? If so how much? Thank you
April 27th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I was a homemaker in 2007, my husband and I have 1 daughter. My husband was the working party, and made about $22,000. We filed “Married Filing Jointly”. Does this mean we’re going to get the $1,200 + $300 for our daughter? Or $600 + $300 for our daughter?
April 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
kittie,
you will be getting 1200 + 300
April 28th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I guess Im still confused. My husband and I filed married filing jointly. We were both working (although I am now a stay at home mom) and we made together about 45000. We did recieve a refund though. I have heard since we recieved a refund we will only get 600 for being married plus 300 for each child is this true or will we still get 1200 for being married and 300 for each child.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Sheila,
You shall receive 1200 and 300 for each child (doesnt matter if you worked or not, or if you owe or get a tax refund) as long as you filed as married filing jointly.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
AS OF TODAY, MY EX-HUSBAND IS $700.00 IN ARREARS WITH CHILD SUPPORT. THERE WAS NO INTERCEPTION ORDERED AGAINST HIS 2007 TAXES BECAUSE HE FELL INTO ARREARS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS OF 2008, BUT HIS UNEMPLOYMENT CHECK DOES GET INTERCEPTED. WILL HIS REBATE BE INTERCEPTED FOR CHILD SUPPORT?
April 28th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I would like to know if I will still receive a rebate check if my children receive Survivor Benefits? They are twins, both 16 years of age. I am the head of househould and the representative payee for their social security benefits. I am on SSI disability and i know that my income does not qualify for the stimulus payment. Will we qualify for a rebate check? I did file on April 16th because I had to wait for a proof of their benefits to come in the mail. I did apply for direct deposit. Will i still receive a payment in the month of May, or later in the year?
April 28th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
My husband recieves social security disablity benefits That exceeded over $3000.00 He also worked for a few weeks this year and was unable to continue to do it so only made a gross amount of $1497.00 So this amount was taxable But under $3000.00 But both together equalled approx. $9600.00 For both the work and his social security benefits ) We filed married filing jointly( i had no income ~I am disabled but not recieving any type of benefits.) We have 3 children under the age of 17 that were claimed as dependents.Also all 3 of our children recieve a small $37.00 Check monthly under my husbands social security.)
Do u know what our stimulus check amount would be?
Oh, we did file taxes and got a rebate check for I think close to $600.00 Earned income credit. and $3.00 on state .Thanks for your help
April 28th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
When I said this year I meant 2007~So I am not confusing.
April 29th, 2008 at 12:54 am
I have a question that I have not seen anywhere else. I had my tax refund directly deposited onto an h&r block emerald card, deposited within 12 hours after filing. My question: will I be receiving a paper check in the mail, or will my stimulus payment be directly deposited onto my emerald card? I am inclined to think that it will more than likely be a paper check, but I would like to know for sure. Anyone know anything about this?
April 29th, 2008 at 3:09 am
My husband and I sold a rental home in 2007 and had major capital gains, thus inflating our AGI. Will the capital gains count or will they deduct them when figuring out if we qualify. Thanks
April 29th, 2008 at 5:01 am
i filed an amendment on my 2007 taxes will this affect my rebate
April 29th, 2008 at 8:51 am
My wife and I filed 2007 as MFJ and our divorce was finalized in April of 2008, thus we will each file our 2008 return as single. I assume we will receive the full stimulus package payment as the IRS believes we are still married. How will the payment be treated when we each file as singles in 2008? Will the entire amount be counted towards the person who received the direct deposit? Or will one half be credited to each of us? Thanks for the help.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:18 am
My husband and I filed bankruptcy in July 2007 and received a discharge in November2007. We received a partial amount of our 2007 tax refund. Will we receive the economic stimulus rebate or would it go to the bankruptcy estate
April 29th, 2008 at 11:22 am
My husband and I owe back taxes to the Commonwealth of Virginia and for the past 2 years they have taken our federal income tax rebate, will we lose our stimulus payment to our back taxes also?
April 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
im happy to qualify its about time the country rewards us for something!
April 29th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I have a student loan that I am behind on about two months (not in default). Is this amount guaranteed to be deducted from my refund and will I then get the difference?
April 29th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
According to your article “The economic stimulus tax rebate is counted as a tax credit against your future 2008 tax bill.” If this is true when I am expected to pay it back, how much of it would I have to pay back, and when and how will I be notified of amount owed back to the IRS. Will this be on top of whatever I will have to pay on my 2008 taxes? This is the first time I hear about this estimulus check been a credit against my future 2008 tax bill. Talking with some of my coworkers, they were as astonished as I was when I read the article. Can I refuse the stimulus check? Thank you for your reply.
April 29th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Rambette,
The tax rebate is a 2008 credit that has been accelerated into the present. You will not have to pay any amount you receive now back to the IRS. As I indicated above, the stimulus rebate received now will not be used to offset any refunds you may be entitled to in future years.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I have a student loan that I am behind on payments, but am not in default on — I got behind for about 3 months a year ago and although I am now making my monthly payments, I have not been able to make up the late amount — my refund checks last year and this year were not taken to pay this debt. Will I receive a stimulus check?
April 29th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Raymond,
My husband and I filed married filing jointly. He filed Chapter 7 and has had his trustee hearing, but the discharge probably won’t happen until early- to mid-June. We are scheduled to receive our rebate electronically around May 16. Do you know if the trustee will take this rebate as an offset? If so, do you know how that works when I an the one who made the majority of the income?
Many thanks.
April 30th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I was just wondering if the IRS has decided what they are going to do with the stimulus checks for the people who have intercepted tax refunds. My ex husband is over $50,000 behind in child support and he gets his tax checks intercepted (well is suppose to except he claims married and 7, so I don’t get anything) Will they be intercepting his stimulus check? And if they are is there going to be a 6 month hold on it like they do for regular tax refunds before I get it?
April 30th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Okay I have a few questions. We filed MFJ with and AGI 39,000 we have two children under 17. there was a child tax credit of 372.00 and an additional child tax credit of 1628.00. We got a refund, but am curious will we get the max on our stimulus check
May 1st, 2008 at 12:08 am
Hi, I need to know if I owe mva for lapse of insurance will I still be getting my rebate.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:09 am
Hi, I heard that if you used turbo tax or filed your taxes through a 3rdparty on line program, even if you did direct deposit, you will have to wait for a paper check. Is this correct? Thank you
May 1st, 2008 at 1:56 am
This looks like a good thread to get a question answered. I am a full time student, and i made around $13,000 last year. I read somewhere that even if I CAN be claimed as a dependant by my parents that I will be disqualified from the stimulus. I’m not sure if they actually claimed me or not, but am I disqualified either way?
May 1st, 2008 at 3:38 am
Jake,
From what I understand, you will ONLY be disqualified IF you were claimed by someone as a dependent on their returns. If not, then making $13,000 last year will allow you to receive $600.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:28 am
I’m currently making payments on a student loan, will I receive an economic stimulus check? I’m 23 and filed taxes in February and am within the income range.
May 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Is the money suppose to be in the bank by the 1st of may if you got direct deposit? And is there a date were there gonna stop putting the money in the accounts?
May 1st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
IF YOU OWE BACK TAXES WILL THEY BE TAKING THE REBATE CHECK?
May 1st, 2008 at 10:56 pm
For my return I marked that I could be marked as a dependent, however my parents did not claim me as a dependent. I am 19, am I not going to receive the stimulus check?
May 2nd, 2008 at 6:53 am
I just got my stimulus, and I don’t understand! We filed married filing jointly, we did not have to pay taxes (but we DO pay taxes like everyone else (ie: state and federal)), we have 1 child, made 23,000 for 2007, and were told that we were going to get $1500. Instead we got our deposit and it was only $900!!! Can someone please explain why? I thought married couples were supposed to get $1200, not $600.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
If i went thru TaxSlayer to file my taxes online will I receive a paper check or direct deposit. TaxSlayer is RAL and I file online every year.
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:33 pm
I file single head of household and claim my 3y/o son. My AGI is around 17,000. But I get child earned income credit. And what I recieved back this year as more than what I had originally paid in. I thought I was going to recieve 600 for me and 300 for my son. But I have been told b/c I got more back in earned income credit I am only getting a total of 600. Can you clear this up please?? Thank you
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
hi!,
I’m currently in default on my sallie mae student loan and i made $5000 last year and i filed a paper return at the end of february, my question is this,
will my economic stimulus check be intercepted by sallie mae?
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I would like to know if I will still receive a rebate check. I filled taxes although I owe, I am currently on a payment plan.. should i expect one?
thanks!
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 am
Its funny, i’m a dependent on my parents because im in school and i live in their house. right now i am paying for my school loans myself and cant afford to get my own place. i get shitttt!!! haha i love america
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:09 am
My husband received a letter in 2007 stating he owed an old student loan and starting with his 2008 income tax return they would start keeping it to repay the debt. We received all of our income tax return this year. Because the letter states they’re not going to start keeping our refund until next year will we still get the rebate now? or will they keep it towards the 2008 filing of income tax?
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:53 am
Last year i received an over payment on unemployment, they took my state taxes but not my fed., will i receive a stimulus check?
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:41 am
My wife and I have an AGI of $90, 741 with two kids, one being born in ‘07. we received a refund check back in Feb. Will we still receive a ES Refund? Thanks for any help
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:18 am
I am a mother who receives childs support for my son. The father (who is now married) owes $4000.00 in back child support. If my child’s father and wife do not file an injured spouse form and I receive their whole rebate, can they file the form at a later date and request the money back from me?
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
WE RECEIVED A $600 TAX CREDIT IN OUR CHECKING ACCOUNT 5/2/08. MY HUSBAND ARE MARRIED AND FILED JOINTLY WHY WOULD THIS HAVE NOT BEEN THE $1200.00 FOR MARRIED COUPLES OR WILL IT COME THROUGH IN TWO DEPOSITS IF IT IS BASED ON SS#.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
My wife and I have an AGI of $90, 741 with two kids, one being born in ‘07. we received a refund check back in Feb. Will we still receive a ES Refund? Thanks for any help
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
received my stimulus “check” as a direct deposit. My wife is a “homemaker” and we have two children, though my rebate was only 1200.00. We were expecting 1800.00. I am unsure about whether or not she will be paid (non-working), or if they will send another three 600.00 when her number comes up. Either way we are waiting for the letter so we can ask the gov. Has anyone who does not have a working spouse received the entire 1200.00??
Who do i contact to ask about the “short” refund??
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:07 pm
My wife and I filed jointly. We have to pay in alittle over $2000.00. Will the govn. keep the $1200 towards the debt or would we still get it?
May 5th, 2008 at 2:55 am
I owe driver responsiblity fees to the state will they take my stimulus check? Also if i owe any money (period) to the state will I not recieve my check?
May 5th, 2008 at 3:33 am
I have a question. How is the question I posted a few days ago answered?
Still waiting…..
May 5th, 2008 at 10:04 am
If you owe back state taxes but have filed an ammendment,because the employerpaid the state you worked in not the state you lived in ,so NY state owes me 4,346 dollars but I owe Pa 4,123 dollars will I still get a rebate check,we just found out about this in jan.and have filed papperwork on this matter,now we did get our fed refund this year.I called H&R block who did our taxes and they THINK we should get a rebate check,but we should have gotten our rebate on fri,may 2 and have not yet???
May 5th, 2008 at 10:07 am
I forgot to say this is all over the fact I am a truckdriver
May 5th, 2008 at 11:10 am
My husband and I filed our taxes married filing jointly. We have 2 children and paid taxes but recieved all we paid in back due to our exemptions. Should we expectr $600 plus $300 for each child or $1200 plus $300 for each child. This is one thing that I have never understood.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Im wondering about child support. My husbands tax return was given to his ex for back child suport. Will the stimulous check go to her to?
May 5th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
How do I know if my rebate check will be deposited or mailed to me? Will it depend upon whether or not you had your 2007 tax refund sent to you by direct deposit or mailed?
May 6th, 2008 at 10:10 am
My husband and I filed married filing jointly.He’s the only one in our house that works,I stay at home with the 2 kids.His AGI is $30,209.I was wondering what our rebate would be? Thanks!!
May 6th, 2008 at 10:27 am
My husband and I owed about $400.00 in taxes for 2207. We sent in an request for an installment agreement. We then received a notice from the IRS that said we owe $800.00 from 2006 year. We have to sign a form if we agree and send it back. We have not actually received a bill for either years. Will we still receive our stimulus check of $1200.00? They are suppose to be mailing us the check on or about May 16th? I can’t imagine them having enough time to intercept this stimulus check.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I defaulted on student loans about a year ago and they took my 2007 tax refund and when I asked them why they said that I would have had to set up payments before october 2007 for them not to take the refund. As of January 2008 though I have been making payments(they are directly taken from bank account) to DCS which is kind of like the credit collectors for the student loans. In 9 months my credit will be back to normal with their credit rehab program that I am currently in. I have seen this question so many times on other boards and I was just wondering if anyone had a positive answer? Are you in this situation and DID or DID NOT get your check? I recieved that paper in the mail a few months back that said that I was eligible for the rebate and when I do the “Where’s My CHeck?” thing on the IRS page it tells me that I will be getting it deposited on Friday May 9. Please Help?
May 7th, 2008 at 10:42 am
If I am married but file MFS – my husband works for him self and has yet to file his taxes. We have one child. Will I qualify for the stimulus check?
May 7th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
We filed taxes in March 2007. Our return was processed that day. We owed taxes and mailed in a check to pay for them, which has cleared the bank already. We filed using turbotax and chose direct deposit for the rebate. Are we going to be waiting longer due to mailing our payment in? Our last two digits are 29, so we should receive DD by Friday, but my sister already received her DD and their last two digits are 36?
May 7th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I’m ignorant when it comes to tax season and my husband usually handles all that stuff, but I actually have a question regarding the tax rebate. I didn’t have a job the whole of 2007 because I was a stay-at-home mom for that particular year. So my husband claimed me as a dependant for 2007 and we have a child together, which he also claimed. Now, our return -was- going to be around $4300 but my husband has an overdue student loan, that the whole of the $4300 went to pay, so we didn’t get the money. That was perfectly fine, one less bill we had to pay, BUT my question is that the student loan was actually a little over $5000, so will our rebate check get taken to pay the remaining student loan or are they going to over look it this year so that all Americans can have a shot at the check? I have asked all my family and my friends and they don’t seem to know and I ran across this website while browsing for an answer. Just wondering if we will get it even though we may own on a student loan. Thanks!
May 7th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
okay im 18 years old and i made $12,446 in 2007, will i qualify for the rebate even though my parents claimed me? And since im over 16, that means that my parents wont get anything for me. so does that mean that neither of us will get anything for me???
May 8th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
If I am married and have a child i am suppose to get 1200 well recieved a deposit form the tax service today and only recieved 900 whats the deal?
May 8th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
My husband and I filed MFJ. I am a stay at home mom and he is active duty military. We have one child. Our total income for 2007 was around 40,000. I had assumed that we would qualify for the 1200 as a couple and then 300 for our daughter to total 1500. However, we just received a notice from our bank that we had a pendind direct deposit of 900. Did I somehow misunderstand the qualifications and limitations?
May 9th, 2008 at 9:30 am
If my husband and I filed jointly with adjusted income 44,000 and 2 dependents we got a rebate for 1,200. Do we qualify for an extra 300 for each child? Were we suppose to get 1,800 or 1,200?
Thanks
May 9th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
i have a friend who’s from jamaica and worked here the last 2 years. He was wondering if he filed his taxes if he would be gatting the rebate check? He did file his taxes for last year.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
My agi was just under $30,000 last year, paid taxes and I have one child. Which rebate am I entitled to.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Based on the last 2 digits of my social security number, I was supposed to receive my rebate today. I went to the IRS website to research my stimulus, and learned that no information could be provided. Tha small print suggests that information regarding my stimulus would be available as early as one week prior to the issue date. My 2007 tax refund was direct deposited, but I did work with a tax service that took all of the processing fees out of my refund. Will my stimulus be sent to me as check instead?
May 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
My husband & I both work & have 2 dependent children (both age 17) at home. We received $1,200, but I was expecting $1,800. Will I be getting the other $600 for each kid separately or did they screw up?
May 9th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I’m confused. I was under the assumption that we as a family would be receiving a 1200 rebate plus the extra for 1 child. However, we only received a rebate in the amount of 900. My husband is self employed, and due to the construction industry earned only an AGI of a little more than 16000. I am a stay at home mom. Self employment tax paid was 1176. My parents received the full 1200 rebate along with a few other people I know. Can you help me understand this?
May 9th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
A comment about Chapter 13. We are in the last year of 5 in a chapter 13. It is stipulated that we make our payments of $$$ each month, and that any monies over the amount of that monthly total is ours to do with as we feel fit. We have since then always have received all government refunds. Our stimulus payment is being deposited in our account 5/12. The trustee has never taken a dime more than the prearranged agreement. Could it vary from state to state? I didnt owe the government anything at the time that we filed either.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
I just recieved my rebate check and was surprised to learn my refund was $300.00. My income was $7609.00 for 2007 and i have two dependants that reside with me. I spoke to an I.R.S rep and was told i didnt qualify for a single payer $600.00 amount because i had no tax liability. Also confusing was my children not qualifying for aditional $300.00 because i recieved an earned income credit on my taxes. Did i only recieve that earned income credit because i’m low income? This tax stimulus seems to only be about how much in taxes you have already paid! Am i wrong?
May 10th, 2008 at 1:46 am
same question that ruth gentry left. my husband works full time, but i’m a stay -at-home mom w/ 2young children. he makes around 57,000 a year. we only rec. 1200.00. where is the 600.00 for the children?
May 10th, 2008 at 4:10 am
Well, looking at how many in this economy in our country are now filing bankruptcy and owe the IRS, etc….I don’t think our govt really intends to give us rebates, only to a few. What do you think? I’m another (republican) who just filed chapter 7 this week & surrendered my home, (i.e. homeless with child) and now my rebate is supposed to be here and looks like the govt just takes it right back again, that will do a lot of good. I’m out of work 9 months now, no jobs, what about extended unemployment benefits, mine has run out? The goverment always just wants to sound good. They don’t do anything for the American people in this economy they all created. Yet, they send billions overseas to feed the hungry….what about our own hungry? I’ve worked & paid tax dollars all my life, over 50 yrs now….and no work and now no home. Politicians, we will remember each one of you.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Hello,
I sarted a new busiess last year. Did not go very well and had to shut it down, anyway, I was very naive and did not pay sales taxes, is not much but still. Will this in anyway affect my Tax rebate payment?
Thank you!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Hi,
I am retired and am SSI recipient, received in 2007 from SS aproximately $9,000/yr … and I don’t work.
Do I qualify for stimulus rebate check?
May 10th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Mr. Raymond,
I’m so damn hunky-dory dandy. I received $600 from the government. I feel like I won the lottery. Now I can send my kid, Billy to college and take my wife, Lue anne to on vacation to Omaha and some left over for some booze. I hit jackpot, man. Woooohooo!
May 11th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
still waiting since May 2…. and waiting and waiting…
May 12th, 2008 at 12:16 am
I have read all of your bankruptcy replies, and this is one question I haven’t seen specifically answered. My Chapter 13 bankruptcy will be discharged in December of 2008. My tax rebate for 2007 which I received this year has to go to Bankruptcy, but my tax rebate check for 2008 which I will receive in 2009 won’t have to because my bankruptcy will be over. If this rebate check is like you say a credit on the 2008 tax rebate but received in the present, then it seems they shouldn’t be entitled to it. They are not entitled to my 2008 tax rebates so why should they be entitled to this rebate which is a credit towards that. I have already received my money, direct deposited into my bank account. I haven’t received any notices or letters from my trustee or lawyer. Wouldn’t they have mailed out something already if they wanted the money. I just don’t think it is right for them to get it.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
My filing status is married filing joint, and our federal and state returns were
e-filed on 04/10/08 using Turbotax. We were told we qualified for the $1200 stimulus rebate and we specified the account number to our checking acct. We paid Turbotax separately for using their premier software using a VISA checkcard. The acct number that corresponded to the VISA was utilized for direct deposit of the rebate. According to the IRS website, we were to have received the rebate by 05/09/08. Thus far, nothing has been deposited. I read that if you use the same account number for a tax payment for direct deposit or only specify the acct number from which to deduct tax payments, the rebate will be mailed. I did not specify the checking acct number for the tax payment only the stimulus. Contacted the IRS no info is available. Am I to assume that we will be receiving a paper check?
May 12th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I owe money for a federal student loan and my wages are being garnished. My federal tax refund was also garnihsed. Can I still expect to receive a stimulus payment or will it be garnished as well?
May 12th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I have a student loan and before I applied for a defferment I was current on my monthly payments and I was approved for a defferment and don’t owe any payments until 2009 would the rebate check go toward the student loan that is in defferment?
May 13th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Well I just spoke with IRS Stimulus Hotline…..FYI…..if you filed using Direct Deposit and paid your fees UP FRONT you will receive your stimulus check direct deposit….now if you filed and had the fees taken out of the direct deposit you will receive a paper check. For the simple fact the direct deposit on your taxes went to whoever you filed with (Jackson Hewitt, H&R Block….etc) account to take the fees out then it was direct deposited into your account. This is a bummer because now we have to wait til the end of June to get anything back…..
I hope President Bush don’t run out of money by that time…….this really sucks.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
My husband and I will receive a $1,200.00 rebate check. Will we have to declare this $1,200.00 on our 2008 income tax and pay taxes on it as income? Thank you.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I seem to have a very difficult time trying to get advice on the following: If a person’s entire income for 2007 was received in the form of UNEMPLOYMENT benefits, will that person qualify for the stimulus check? (IRS taxes were still applied from the checks.) Thank you for a quick response.
David Perea
May 13th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
yes my rebate was suppose to be in my bank account friday may 9th and it wasnt and still isnt and it is may 13th please tell me when i will have it in there because i had big plans for it and well some of them were ruined because it wasnt there on time please help me by answering my question.
May 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
I’m waiting for my tax rebate and I haven’t seen it yet. I filed electronically and paid my taxes electronic. According to the schedule, I should have received a rebate last week (5/09/08). I don’t make more than 75K. Does this mean that I’m not getting a rebate or is it going via regular mail?
May 14th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
My entire tax return was taken by the Military Star Card/AAFES. I still owe them money. Will this be taken out of my stimulus check? I thought it was just a credit card debt, but I guess since it was through a military affiliated company, it is considered a federal debt. Does anyone know?
May 15th, 2008 at 2:36 am
My question is this. The Ohio Attorney General is claiming I owe them repayment for unemployment benefits. They offset my state taxes but I got my federal taxes just fine. WIll I still get my stimulus?
May 15th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Hi,
I have filed my 2007 tax returns in March and got the returns already. The return has been filed as ‘Married Filing Jointly’ with ITIN for my wife. My daughter and I both have SSN’s. After filing I have realized that I am not eligible for Stimulus payment as my wife didn’t have SSN.
My wife has now received her SSN. And I would like to file 1040X to replace my wife’s ITIN with her SSN. But I am not sure if I can do this. I highly appreciate if you can give me some inputs in this regard. Can I file 1040X to replace ITIN with SSN? if yes, what precautions should I take? Will I get Stimulus payment if I can file 1040X? Do I need to file 1040X for state as well (I live in Massachusetts)?
May 15th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
question: i found out a few weeks ago, i honestly forgot to add some capital gain info on my 2006 taxes, and I now owe. I set up a payment plan with the IRS to make monthly payments. Will I receive my stimulus check or will the IRS Garnish?
May 16th, 2008 at 5:01 am
I am head of household, 2 dependents 1 in college 1 is 12 yrs old. However, my stimulus pay was reduced because of a tax liabilty/AGI…is 20615 taxable income is 0. Itemized deductions 11222…
Why was the payment reduced…I cannot find a clear answer on the IRS page. i call..the recording stated that my payment was reduced because of my tax liability??? I receive a VA disabilty benefit for injuries sustained during the Gulf War, thats over 3000 however I am not retired or totally disabled..
May 16th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Hi, i filed and i will receive a refund check and i filled efile and did direct deposit and here is the 16th of may and still no check in the bank
so what is that tell me that mine will be mailed to me??????
May 16th, 2008 at 11:33 am
when is my stimulus check coming.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I have not rec’d my stimulas refund. Due on May 9 (last two #’s 53) I have my ss cks direct deposited.
May 16th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
hey im 19 and i took care of two of my nephews and i put them as dependents will i get a check? but i also put the adress as my aunts so can she cash my check y o n?
May 16th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
My daughter filed jointly for 2007. She paid taxes for the whole 2007. In the other hand her husband was working but he claimed 5 dependents the whole year and almost never paid taxes. They have a child. They received their estimulus check but they only received $900.00. I thought they going to receive $1500. Please can you tell me why?
May 16th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Just received what was left of ours: “… based on 0 qualifying children.”
Huh? We have three dependent children, two of them under 17.
Ignoring the discrimination against the 17 yo, who earned ~$3600, but doesn’t qualify on her own, why were the two 15 yo’s DQ’d?!?
Guess we’ll be calling the tax guy on Monday…
May 17th, 2008 at 8:57 am
In the news this weekend they are talking about the people complaining that they didnt get the extra $300 foe a dependant child or children. This is an error of the government and they are fully aware of it. They promise to fix it by resnding checks to those with qualifying children. Of course, you wont get the owed money until July. It will be paid by paper check. But hey, at least you know it’s coming.
They also admit to a glitch that put peoples money into the wrong bank accounts. At first they said it happened to 15,000 people, now they claim that number is actually 1,500. Maybe it did work out better for the people who were to get their stimulus by check rather than direct deposit after all.
May 18th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Our AGI was 19,200. (filed jointly) and we received our check already. We had direct deposit, but we only got $600. Daughter said she heard that they made some mistakes on the checks. My husband started collectimg SS in Dec.2007, and is still working parttime. I retired in April of this year. We sent our income tax forms in Feb. No we didn’t have to pay . We got a small rebate. How come we only got $600.?
May 18th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I think the whole payment amount is pretty unfair. I am single, have no kids, and received a federal refund of $500. Just because I didn’t owe the IRS anything, I am only going to receive a $300 stimulus check, according to the IRS calculator. Also, the payment schedule is stupid, basing the whole timeline on the last two numbers of your SSN. I’m not even going to be receiving this check until July! If I would have known that, I would have asked my tax preparer to change my refund to DD. I personally think that it should go by the date they processed your return. I mailed mine in Jan. 31, and received my check on Feb 21. I have also heard that they may penalize you on your 2008 refund, so based on that, I would only receive a $200 2008 refund! I refuse to spend this money when I receive it, because I will probably need it to pay the IRS or my state next year. What a joke.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I received my stimulus check last Friday. My familiy was supposed to receive $1500. (married with one child). We only received a total of $158.00. We owe no back taxes, child support, past due student loans and we met the tax liability standards. I called the IRS support number, but was unable to talk to anyone. I guess we have to wait for a follow-up letter stating our deductions……in 2 weeks. I want to figure this out now. Is it a mistake or are there other deductions out there that we don’t know about?
May 19th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I recieved a very odd amount for my rebate check. I should have recieved $1200 (myself and then 2 minor kids) but didn’t. I do not owe any back taxes or anything…recieved my full refund from 2007 infact…I have looked all over the net for anything to explain it and cannot find anything
May 19th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I’m so mad!!! I’m a stay at home mother to a 22 month old. I tried to go back to work last year but had to quit because my son got very ill at daycare. I had missed more time than I had worked, so I would have been fired anyway.
Yadda Yadda Yadda…. We aren’t getting a stimulus check. My boyfriend is the only source of income, but he owes money to the irs.
I think it’s total BS that you have to have made at least 3,000 to be eligible. We could really use the help, not that it would be “stimulating” anything in this house other than to pay bills we’ve been short on.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I filed my taxes electronically via my cpa prior to the 4/15 deadline. Because I am self employed, I owed taxes this year which I have already payed in full via a personal check (which was quickly cashed, I might add!) My total income was less than $37,000 and according to my accountant, I should be receiving $600 which he requested to be direct deposited ( I file as head of household, but my son was 17 before 12/31/07, so I get nothing for him). As of today, I have not received anything (including a letter saying the amount of the check I would be entitled to). Also, I paid my accountant separately via a personal check. Any ideas as to when and How I might be receiving my payment? My ss# ends in 82. Thanks in advance for your help.
May 20th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Our 21 year old son is a full time student: who made $15,000 last year. We are married and made about $67,000. We checked with our tax guy to determine the most beneficial way for the “family” to file 07 returns. He suggested that we claim Blake as a dependent; so our 2007 return was married/(3) dependents and Blake’s return showed single/(1) dependent.
We paid Blake the difference$600 (which he would have gotten had we not claimed him) We also paid him $500; since we thought our stimuli check would be $1500.
The “catch 22″ is that our rebate check was only for $1200, should it have been the $1500? Blake did not receive a stimuli check (which according to other comments on your site, is correct because we claimed his as a dependent).
My tax guy commented, (however, I don’t think this affects my question to him):
Stimulus Rebate Issues
Several members have informed NATP that their client’s stimulus rebates are arriving late or are not the same amount they were expecting. The IRS has acknowledged a programming error with regard to the calculation of the additional $300 for a qualifying child. Apparently when taxpayers are not eligible for the child tax credit on their 2007 return because of the income limitations, they are not receiving the additional $300 in their stimulus rebate. The IRS has indicated that the stimulus amount is based on the information reported on the 2007 return and that they reference the child tax credit line on the return. At this point they are unsure how they will correct this issue. Presumably, affected taxpayers will receive the difference when they file their 2008 return.
Do you think we qualify for the additional $300? Is the 1040x a correction for our taxes?
May 20th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I sent prior email regarding student/dependent. Our tax guy said to file married/3 (which included him). His tax filing showed single/0. MY PRIOR EMAIL WAS INCORRECT-IT INDICATED HE FILED AS SINGLE/1.
We only got $1200, should we have gotten an extra $300 for him?
Could we file an amendment to change our filing to married/2 and he could change his original filing to single/0, which would allow him the $600 credit, right?
May 21st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
OMG, I cannot believe some of the things I’m reading in here. Deadbeats not filing their taxes to avoid the stimulus checks getting intercepted? You have to file sooner or later, and from what I’ve read on the IRS website, even if you file late, that will generate a late stimulus check to you and bad news deadbeats….it will be intercepted. What pigs! Just pay your damn child support and shut up. Your kids can benefit from the money bore than you anyhow!
May 21st, 2008 at 4:35 pm
i claimed my mother and son who is a college student and over 18, how much will my stimulus check be
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
I filed a joint tax return with my husband in Feb. of 08, I have 2 children from a previous marriage so me and my current husband claimed one of my children, I had cancer and did not work the only income I had was 12,000. in child support and my husbands income, the irs took our tax return due to new judgement for child support on his end I was not aware of this, since my husband and I split and the irs will probably take the stimulas check as well, I don’t think that is fair because if my husband did not claim me and my child he wouldn’t of received a tax return, is there anything that can be done?
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
hi my husbands has an offset for back child support i was wondering if they can take my kids part of the money for that?i did not file that 8397 i think its called because i did not work last year. can i still file it to get my kids eic back and or there 300 on that other check?
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Will i recieve a rebate if i am 18 years old and fell within the 3k to 75k earnings? I filed my taxes with my mom and my refund was put into her account….will this affect where and if i get the money?
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I made at least 4, 000 last year. Most of which was from unemployment, so why did irs say i don’t qualify?
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I would like to know who can garnish these tax rebates? I owe some to Unemployment Security, will I still receive this?
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
I hope i can get an answer for my question.
————————————————————————
Hi,
I have filed my 2007 tax returns in March and got the returns already. The return has been filed as “Married Filing Jointly” with ITIN for my wife. My daughter and I both have SSN’s. After filing I have realized that I am not eligible for Stimulus payment as my wife didn’t have SSN.
My wife has now received her SSN. And I would like to file 1040X to replace my wife’s ITIN with her SSN. But I am not sure if I can do this. I highly appreciate if you can give me some inputs in this regard. Can I file 1040X to replace ITIN with SSN? if yes, what precautions should I take? Will I get Stimulus payment if I can file 1040X? Do I need to file 1040X for state as well (I live in Massachusetts)?
May 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I will thankyou in advance for answering my questions. I am a single mother of 3 children . Their father owes quite a bit of money in back child support. Up until this year I have never received any form of an intercepted tax return. I received @500.00 in May, for arrears. Will I also intercept his rebate check? I know that my rebate will be $1500.00. Will this matter if he owes child support?
May 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I am a single mother of two who made roughly $50,000 last year. I filed my taxes yet I have not received my stimulus check yet.
I filed an amended tax return last month for a child care cost form that I received after I had already filed my taxes. I also use AllKids for insurance for my children. Could either if these two things be holding up my return or do I just not qualify because of the insurance?
May 25th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I filed head of household and claimed one daughter and I only received 600… I thought I would be getting 900, 600/300, but I didn’t… I don’t make that much, and I do meet the requirements so I am not sure why I was shorted 300… does anyone know?
May 28th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
I am with you Jill…
I am in the same boat,, i thought i was suppose to get 300 for my son i claimed.., i meet all the requirments as well. I have called the 866 number and got nowhere..
Please help us understand why we did not get the extra child money?
I mean this is great and all, but if they say they will give so much then they should.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
MY HUSBAND AND I FILED TOGETHER AND WE CLAIM BOTH OUR GROWN CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY LIVE HERE WITH US AND GO TO SCHOOL FULLTIME. ALL OUR MONEY IS TAX EXEMPT EXCEPT FOR HIS COUNTY RETIREMENT. …THEY SAID WE ONLY QUALIFY FOR A 600 REBATE. WHY IS THIS????
BOTH CHILDREN ALSO WORKED PART TIME AND TRIED TO GET A REBATE CHECK BUT WERE NOT ALLOW BECAUSE WE CLAIMED THEM…SHOULD WE AMEND THEIR TAXES AND OUR?
WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED OUR REBATE OF 600 AND OUR TAX REFURN
May 30th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I heard that if you have state Fines for traffic tickets that you will not get you check. Is this true?
Thanks
Kalub
June 1st, 2008 at 12:16 pm
If I claim my son as a dependent and he is going to school full time and working, as a 22 year old, why doesn’t the parents receice $300 for claiming him as a dependent.
June 1st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I just got a letter from the child support agency that the IRS knows about back support owed to me, our CS case was just finalized in courts last month. Im too late for a tax intercept for this year for child support, does that mean i miss out on the stimulus intercept? or can I still get that?
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 pm
My student loans are currently in forbearance…Do you think I will get my stimulus check?
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I owed and already sent the IRS my payment in full. But when I received my stimulus information it showed that they took it for my taxes owed. Who do I call cause the check has been cashed for my payment. How do I get my money back. They have both taxes paid and stimuluse check?
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I owe unemployment money,will they take it from my stimulus check?
June 4th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I received a 300. dollar stimulus payment, but my wife has not received a payment, it was my understanding that veterans would received, a 1200, dollars for couple. my wife received SS under my number because she did not have the points required. let me know what to do
June 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
As a divorced parent, my ex & I share the dependant deductions on alternating years. He received the child credit for 2007 – Am I entitled to half of the stimulus rebate associated with our children?
June 6th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
i want to know when my rebate check will be mailed. someone told me i could get online and see the list of dates according to ssn. Yet i cannot find this list anywhere. can someone help me please!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I owe on 2004,2005 taxes, one state and the other federal this year my refund was applied to the state which cleared that up, will this check be applied to the feds?.
June 7th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
My girlfriend has two children. She did not qualify for the rebate because her AGI was below the $3000 cutoff. Does that mean that she is automatically also not eligable for the $300 per child?
Thanks,
Gabe
June 10th, 2008 at 7:36 am
I work overseas in Japan, but withdrew more than $3000 from an Ira on which I paid taxes.
I’m married to a foreign non-resident, but filed as “married – filing separate” with “Non Resident Alient” printed in the spouse’s SSN section.
Do I still qualify for the Economic Stimulus payment? I’ve heard something about issues with non-resident alien spouses… not sure exactly.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:04 am
I have been homeless for several years now. I am working at a minum wage job. I am also on public assistance (food stamps and medical). I do not make enouph to pay taxes. I was encureged by both the irs and my local welfair office to aply for the earned income credit. When I did I was informed by the irs that bouth my earned income credit and the economic stimuls payment would be offset for a old student loan. I their any way to get part or all of these payments considering my economic hardships. I was hoping to use this money to get into a rental situation (shared housing). The rent would be 100% of my income, so I could not pay first and last without these moneys. How could I make such a case to the irs. I have no money for a loyer and their is no legal assistance avalible to me, as I am not a minority (I have looked into this). I am 56 and it does not look like I will ever be able to pay on these loans.
June 13th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
We are in a chapter 13 that does require TAX REFUNDS to be forwarded to
the trustee, This year we had to pay taxes so there was no refund.
Will we get the stimulus payment and have to forward it or is it automatically
intercepted and sent to the trustee?
June 16th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I live in Ohio. My boyfriend is on Disability and has custody of his daughter who is under age 17. He normally doesn’t file a tax return but did so earlier this year for 2007 in order to get the Stimulus Payment. By all accounts, he should have received $600, $300 for himself (he get’s over $3,000/year) and $300 for his daughter. He checked the calculator and the Where’s My Stimulus Payment website. Every where he check it stated he should receive $600. He received his payment this past Friday (June 13) and he only got $300. He received a letter the same day and it stated that he did not have a qualifying dependent. Now, when he filled the “special” return for those on Disabilty that normally do not file a return, he made sure he put his daughters SSN on the form. Can anyone help explain why this happened. He has called numerous IRS phone numbers and he can’t get to talk to a person … Everything is all pre-recorded. With him on disability, he could REALLY use the extra $300 that he is entitled to. Any response will be GREATLY appreciated. THANKS!
June 16th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
My husband and I have been in ch. 13 for three and a half years now. The money is taken out and paid to the trustee. We never see it. Our tax refund is sent to the trustee, then he sends it to us. Our rebate was sent to our trustee and they have it just sitting there waiting for the ‘trustee’ in Washington to let them know what to do with it. That is what they are telling us any way. Why won’t they give it to us.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I am trying to find out when the tax stimulous check would be mailed, I have not received one. Is this info available on line?
June 16th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Can anyone tell me if I will get a stimulus check or not? I cannot decypher this letter. Filed Chapter 13 in 2004 with 100% payback of debts. My income tax returns go toward the bankruptcy. Thank you.
Dear Counsel for Debtors in Chapter 13
This letter is written in response to inquiries regarding the processing of stimulus
checks to be issued under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 (“ACT”). Under the ACT,
the IRS will treat the stimulus payments like any other tax refund in that part or all of the
payment can be used to pay past-due federal or state income taxes or non-tax federal
debt (student loans, child support, etc). In Chapter 13 cases with an intercept order in
effect the stimulus payments should be forwarded to the Chapter 13 Trustee for
distribution in accordance with the plan. The checks that will be sent out (beginning in
May) are advance refunds of a new credit. The credit is effective with the 2008 tax, but
will be sent out in advance of the tax year. Unfortunately, the checks will in all likeliness
be printed under a 2007 date which could be confusing to the debtors since the IRS
advises that at present it is impossible to print the checks with a 2008 date. However, I
anticipate that the checks will have some identifying language to enable me make the
distinction between the 2007 tax refund and the 2008 stimulus refund or credit. Since
the credit is for the 2008 taxes, I intend to apply them toward any 2008 tax refund in
accordance with the plan provision.
In other words, if the plan provision is for the debtor to retain $1500 in tax refunds and
the stimulus payment under the ACT is $1200, the $1200 will be forwarded to the
debtor and when the traditional 2008 refund comes in 2009, the debtor will be refunded
up to an additional $300 and the balance, if any, will be applied to the plan. If upon the
receipt of the stimulus payment the debtors are behind in their plan payments, then per
the provisions of the standard plan the stimulus payment will be retained and applied to
any plan arrearage. The stimulus payment will be refunded with a generic cover letter
explaining the foregoing.
If you have any further questions, please be sure to advise.
June 17th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
What do I do with a stimulus check for my mother in law who passed away in May 08? Am I required to return this to the IRS?
June 18th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
My wife and I were recently married. We filed our 2007 tax return Married/Jointly. I entered our last name on the return, but her maiden name is still registered w/ Social Security. This discrepancy caused a “non-eligible” status. I have since amended the return to include her maiden name to match with her SSN. Will this remedy the situation? What, if any, further action do I need to take in order to receive the rebate.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I recently came across this article about what people are doing with their plans.
doesn’t seem like its accomplishing much – (link)
June 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I have a question. I am a single parent, who filed head of household. I made under $30,000.00. I claimed 2 children but only one is under 17 years old. I filed electronically. I received my check but I do not think it was right. I received $300 for myself and $300 for the one child. Shouldn’t I have received $600 for myself and $300 for the one child? Others I have talked to got the $600 just for themselves. Please let me know. Thank you.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I am an independent contractor.. I have to file a 1099. I made well over 3000 dollars last year and my tax rebate check came and it was only for 300 dollars… Why is that?
June 28th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I filed a retuen and then I amended it twice to add dependants. I got the refund for all of the filings but I only got a stimulus check for my original return. Will I still get one for the dependants I claimed when I amended my return or do I have to wait and get it next year?
June 29th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I am self-employed, filed as single, and made over $20,000 last year but only got a $300 stimulus check. Why?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:22 am
My ex owes back child support. His tax refund is intercepted every year. He qualifies for a stimulus refund of $600.00 going out on June 13th 2008. How long should it take if it gets intercepted? I have direct deposit for my child support, but I haven’t recieved any intercepted money as of yet(June 30th, 2008). How can I find out if it’s coming to me or not??
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:57 pm
why haven’t i recieved my stimulus check yet when i filed before april 15, filed as independent and made over 3000?
July 6th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
I uderstand that children UNDER 17 are not eligible for the rebate ($300). But what if they are 17 and legally disabled? Parents need the extra money for caring for age 17 and up that are dependents and disabled as much as younger children.
Thanks.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’ve owed taxes since 2005, but I’m currently on a payment plan. My 2006 and 2007 taxes were taken to pay on the taxes that I owed. I owe about $2,000 right now. I’m a student and recieved a letter that I would be getting $600 and the check will be mailed out on July 4th. I haven’t received a follow up letter stateing that they are going to apply it to my old taxes. Should I be expecting to be stimulated or are my hopes just high?? Also July 4th was a holiday so they said they will send July 5th. Is the IRS open on Saturday’s?? Should I expect it on Wednesday??
July 8th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Hey Elle – I owe money for a student loan. They sent me a letter (getting my hopes up) that I was entitled to a stimulus check on July 5th. I received a letter in the mail yesterday saying that the payment was applied to my Loan…so I dont think you’ll be getting a check if you have an open balance…sorry..but good luck
July 10th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Hi,
My case is a peculiar one. We had to file the 2007 tax return form (MFJ) using my(not primary) ITIN even though I had my valid SSN(got the no in 2007 itself) coz e-filing was rejecting my SSN . We have a child(has SSN). My husband has valid SSN too.Our AGI is 70,000.
What do we do now to get the stimulus rebate.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Are you sure this is FREE MONEY? Are you sure we will never have to pay this back some time after 2008 tax year? Where did this money come from? Isn’t this just corporate welfare? Won’t the gas companies get a large share of this FREE MONEY in the long run? There is something really rotten in Denmark? Nothing in this world is free – and if it is – it ain’t worth much. These are not rhetorical questions.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I filed for an extension april 13,08 how long I can wait to file for tax return and get rebate
thx
July 11th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
my parents claimed me this year, i am 20, but i made enough to qualify for the $600 check. does this mean i will not recieve one because they claimed me?
July 14th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Hi!
I have a question My husband and my children have social security but, I only have ITIN. We filed the 2007 taxes already. Do we qualify for stimulus check
July 15th, 2008 at 6:55 am
hello, in refereence to the economic stimulus payment and the filing of bankruptcy, on page 4,5, of the H.R. 5140 BILL OF THE 110TH CONGRESS section 2(d) refunds disregarded in the administration of federal programs and federal assisted programs,further the bill states that the funds will not be applied as an offset to determine eligibily towards benifits or assistance under any federal program or under any state or local programs financed in whole or in part with federal funds. does this help all you bankruptcy filers?hope this information will shed some light on the issues.not sure why the congress would give free money and then let trustees take the funds the people well deserve for being a cooperative citizen, this is a serious contract between the people and the president of the us. thank you for reading this well informed information.
July 15th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I’m confused. I’ve had people tell me different things. If you are a single parent with a 12 yr. old child, how much should you receive? I was told 300 for parent 300 for child, then I was told 300 for child 600 for parent. Please help!! I already received 600. My friend was sent a letter stating there was a miscalculation and she is to get 300 ore on top of her 600. I don’t know how she filed though. Can you explain to me exactly how it’s figured?
July 18th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Hi,
My stimulus check was just garnished for an old federal student loan. I have received Social Security for some years now. Will they now start to garnish y monthly payments as well?
July 21st, 2008 at 12:22 pm
My wife changed her last name from her maiden name to my last name. However, the IRS records did not show that so we did not receive the stimulus check that would have been $1,500 (with 1 child). I spent hours talking to the IRS where they told me there is nothing I can do, I am not eligible for the rebate. Finally I went down to the local IRS office, where they told me I should not worry, as long as the social security office fixes the problem and sends the correct infor to IRS before my 2008 tax fileing date (4/15/2009) I should get full refund in 2009. Sounds good. Should I believe it? What else can I do to make sure I wiull get the monbey. (I wrote to my congresman and senator already)>
Thanks
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Hello… I was reading a previous comment with “Jim” and you stated that if you were not eligible for the stimulus check this year, that you would be able to be reconsidered for the 2008->2009 tax season. My mother claimed be “dependent” for this previous tax season because I was still in college for the first half of the year (I did have income from a part time job), then I began working at my fulltime professional job 2 weeks following graduation. I understand that I am not eligible for this stimulus check (grr unfortunately!!), but is my understanding correct that I will be eligible next year given my situation? Thank you so much, this was a great help by the way!!
July 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
MY husband and I were married in September 2007- we ended up filing jointly as I didn’t pay enough taxes last year and that was our best bet for this tax season. I have been making installment payments for tax year 2006 (had nothing to do with my husband) and still owed $1200- they have taken my stimulus check, and his too. I filled out and sent in a Form 8379 with our 2007 W-2’s and haven’t received a response or a check for my husband. I have spent hours on the line waiting for someone at the IRS to pick up the phone…………..and haven’t been able to speak with anyone- trying get some sort of answer as when we can expect to see this? And when I can expect to start up my payments again? I’d appreciate any help. Thanks!
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I filed my tax return in January 2008 prior to receiving anyn information of the qualifications. I received a notice that earned income must excied $3000. plus Social Security benifits. This would qualifiy myself and wife for the stimulus check. After not receiving the check I contacted the recordint that stated I did not earn enough twared the $3000.and would not receive a check. They did not give us credit for our Social Security income. My wife and I are both 75 yrs old, on a fixed income that puts in the very low income bracket. I find thei program to be ludicrous to give the funds to those who are able to work and not providing for those who need it. If you can offer any advice as what I can do about this, I would appreciate your comments.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Yes I recevied a letetr that a signutre was required and after sending that in. i have have recieved Nothing. I am looking vegeruousely to find this Though It very small compared to whwt i owe the government for my inncomectince.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:53 am
there are other people from other countries that comes to america to work legally and tier taxes have been filed before April 15 are they entitled to tax rebate.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I am from Jamaica and i came on one of the h2b programmes to work.I filed my taxes before the 15th April am i entitled to a tax rebate
September 9th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
I recived my check for $600.00 with no added $300.00 for my daughter. Why is that? I did not make more than $75,000.00 but I did make at least $3000.00. Does the Gov’t still owe me $300.00?
September 24th, 2008 at 9:27 am
The state of Arizona intercepted my ex-wife’s tax refund back in March and forwarded it to me for back child support owed. She has since told me that they will also intercept her stimulus check in the amount of $1200, but that they were “going to hold it for 6 months”. Has anyone heard of this process? Is there anyone in a similar situation that has received a redirected stimulus check? I cannot get any info, because I cannot provide her social security number/filing information. All the IRS tells me is, “we are behind and will continue to mail checks out through 12/31/08″. Does anyone have more information for me than that? It’s been well over 6 months and I haven’t heard anything. Thanks. – MJ
September 29th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I am filing the stimulus rebate for my mom and brother. My brother turned 18 in January 2008, he had previously been receiving social security checks but my mom had been the representative payee listed. For example “Jane Smith for John J. Smith”. Whom should I file this stimulus rebate under my mom’s name or my brother’s?
October 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
When the so-called “stimulus check” arrived, I took a marker pen and crossed out the address. Wrote “REFUSED” on the envelope and dropped into a mail box. The corrupt scum in congress can go shove it.
I for one want NOTHING from the federal government except to be left alone. My only self directed contact with the feds is each spring when the I.R.S. tax forms are filed. That’s it!
Too bad there isn’t a mechanism of some type to officially refuse the insulting bribe of money stolen from the United States treasury by these vile thugs.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hi,
I came to US on dependant Visa on H4 and we (Me and my Husband) filed the tax return jointly. At that time I did not have SSN number and they filed it with my ITIN. Now, I got my SSN and can you pls. tell me how we can get the economic stimulus payment.
Thanks
October 27th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I was just told by my tax agent at hr block that stimulus tax checks if you recieved the full amount would be deducted from my return she says they just changed it is this true and if so how could they change it after saying it would no please get back to me
October 30th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I have filed my 2007 return as ‘married filing jointly’ but with my spudew’s ITIN #. In oct 2008, i have got the SSN for my wife. What is the procedure to get the tax rebate’? Do I need to amend the 2007 tax reutrn using my spuse’ SSN number(instead of ITIN)? Or else, if i file my return in 2009(for year 2008) with my spose’s SSN, will i be automatically receive the 2007 Tax rebate or do i need to fill any other special forms for claiming the tax rebate?
Still not clear , will this rebate amount be deducted from our 2008 tax return or not?
November 8th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Did not work in 2007 and started working in may of 2008 i average about one thousand seven hundred a month since i started working this yr. will i be able to qualify file for stimulis check. i claimed single and 1. since i am not working a full year this yr will this hinder me from getting this stimilus rebate check. thanks and how much will i get if i do get a check.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Can you please tell me why the IRS tells me I will get no stimulus cheque? I am MFJ and our AGI was $5100. We paid over $200 in self-employment tax. Where does it say because my taxes were from self-employment that we are not entitled to these rebate cheques? Does self-employment income not count as ‘earned income’ and if so, why not? It looks like unless we worked for someone else so we had something to place on line 7 of the 1040, we are excluded. I don’t get it. A married couple making only $5000 isn’t suppose to get any help? Can we get any rebate next year?
December 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I am filing married this year and we now have all 4 children living in our home. Will the new stimulus package fall under these changes? Will my husbands ex wife recieve credit on the stimulus check even tough the children are in our home full time and have been since dec 5 2007?
we now claim both of his children aas deductions and eic and 1 of mine as deduction and 2 for eic. What do we need to do and what will these changes fall under for the stimulus package?
thanks you
mphillips
December 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Is it a way to find if I did receive the 2004 stimus check, and ifI didn’t recieve it.How can I go about claiming it.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:42 am
If married filing jointly, both taxpayers must have valid Social Security Numbers. If only one spouse has a valid Social Security Number and the other only has an ITIN, jointly, you will not get a stimulus payment.
In my case, the above happened, since my wife did not have SSN, while we were filing 2007 tax return.But now she received SSN.So can I reclaim the $1200($600 +$600) economic stimulus, which I missed out last year- 2007 taxt return.
If I can reclaim, when can that be done? when I file for 2008 Tax return or before that ?
December 19th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
ME AND MY HUSBAND FILED FOR THE 2007 TAX REBATE WILL WE GET TO FILE THIS YEAR WE GET SSA AND IT IS 13704 A YEAR WILL WE STILL GET A REBATE ON US AN 3 KIDS UNDER 17 YEARS OF AGE AND HOW MUCH WILL WE GET BACK
December 31st, 2008 at 11:40 am
My stimulus check was hijacked by the MISDU (Michigan child support police). I owed a small amount of back child support so I expected this to happen. However, my wife file an “injured spouse” form 8857 to protect her portion of the stimulus check so that it wouldn’t all be sent to my ex wife. 5 months later I spoke with MISDU and they confirmed that half of the check would be sent to my wife and the other half to my ex. No problem, I thought. On December 18th 2008 the money was scheduled to be mailed. I called the MISDU yesterday to inquire as to where the check was. They informed me that they sent the entire amount to my ex. They were not able to give me any other information or an explanation as to why they did this. I then called the Friend of the Court in Macomb County Michigan. They had no idea as well and suggested that the MISDU acted alone in making the decision. Of course I called the MISDU back and they insisted that the decision was up to the Macomb County Friend of the Court. So neither branch of government seems to know what the other is doing and now my wife is out half her portion of the stimulus check.
Is there anyone out there who can help? If so, email me at freedom_mold@yahoo.com
January 11th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
We can’t figure out why we were penalized for using Turbo Tax. We presumed that we should have received $1200. in rebate last year, sent directly to our checking account. Because we used Turbo Tax, we received only $600. and it was a paper check. Let us know what you think, please.
January 11th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
We would like to know why we were penalized for using Turbo Tax. It seems to me that we should have received $1200 direct deposited. Instead, because we used a “tax service” (software) we received only $600. and it was a paper check. Any light you can shed will be appreciated.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I am a single mother with a daughter that turned 17 on December 31,2008. She is a Junior in High School. I don’t underestand why I am losing the earned income credit on her and only being able to claim her as an dependent when I take care of her completely. I mean I make less than 25000.00 per year. If she was out of high school I might understand. THIS MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLD ALL YEAR AND ONE DAY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE ON HOW I CAN CLAIM HER. SHE WON’T EVEN GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL UNTIL SHE IS 18.
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Looks like more tax rebates are in the works. $1000 bucks will be a nice little bonus when I do my taxes this year. Unfortunately my Capital losses are far more than $1000!
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:13 am
I am in college and living with my girlfriend, no wife, but have aquired over 12,000$ in loans and another 8,000$ in grants & scholarships. No one else is clamining me as a dependent and I quilified for a 300$ check last year. Can I and what do I need to do to be eligable for a stimulus check?
January 30th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Hi my wife filed hers separetly this year and I need do mine now. Here is my question. Do I need to file this year even though I did not work one single day of 2008? Or should we file thoghther? Is it possible to refile hers again with me?
Do you know if she would ge more money make if she files it with me?
Please help me.
Thank you very much
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 am
It’s amusing to look back (of course, hindsight is 20/20) and see what little this economic stimulus plan accomplished. I have no doubt that the current plans will fail just as miserably. Sometimes you just have to let economic cycles run their course.
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I was expecting the entire stimulus payment from my ex due to child support arrears. I spoke with him a couple of months ago and he told me he hasn’t received the stimulus payment and neither have I. he was due to recive early july 2008 and he does file a joint return with his spouse. i was under the impression that if the spouse doesn’t file an injured spouse claim, the money would be turned over to me in six months. it has been seven months and the stimulus payment isno where to be found. i contacted the state several times and was told they don’t have it. What happended to the payment? I’ve always received child support payments directly and have recieved all of my ex’s tax refunds for the past four years. I really though the stimulus payment would be turned over to my by now. it’s way past six months.
February 4th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
HI,
I’m so confused! My husband and I did our taxes on turbo last night and owe a ton of money. We made $85k combined and when we added our $1200 rebate into our tax return it upped what we owe from $1375 to $2800. Do we esentially have to pay the government back for this money? It we don’t claim the rebate (which I know we have to), we owe $1200 less!
HELP?
THANKS!
February 9th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I received $300 for the rebate check but am now finding that I should have received the full $600. Can I now claim that on my 2008 return?
February 10th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Hi. my boyfriend tried claiming my kids on turbo tax and it gave him the child credit but when he tried to get the earned income credit it said the children were not elligable. he made approximately $20,000 last year. Is the stimulus causing this problem?
February 13th, 2009 at 6:29 am
I am 19 year old female i have one child and filed head of household and im not married my income was over 3000 and i filed my taxes in 2008 and in feb.2009 i didnt get a stimulus check last year does this mean ima get 1 this year and how much will it be??
February 16th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Why do we the americans need the estimulos package for all the americans?
February 26th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Let me start off by saying that I am an American but we as Americans are selfish brats.
We want anything that someone offers to give us.
The government needs to stop giving away money that does not belong to them, this is the tax payers money.
Don’t bail out businesses because they are in trouble and yes I understand that this was not in their control. Do you think the Federal Government would bail a small business, No they would let it fail.
I understand their reasoning behind the bail outs but this country is so far in debt and they still keep gicing away money.
Oboma has stated he intends to decrease the deficite by half before the end of his first term in office which I do not beleive this is possible.
This recession started under Clinton and Clinton claims he knows how to fix it but can anyone really fix this, I think the answer is no.
We have to let it run it’s course unfortunatly and hope that we the Americans are all ok once it is over.
I appologize for my rant but glad to get it off my chest.
March 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
so, the people that areon ssi and ss. will get a check also? How much and when can they expect to get it?
March 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
just thought I would ask so I can let the people who are asking me know(like myself)
March 7th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Just sit back and wait folks and see what else is to come with this Obama nation! The worst is yet to come….Oh and it’s coming! America has forgotten it’s creator and trusts in Muslim crooks like Obama. Look at all the exposure of corruption scandel in the headlines news eveyday! Much more to come so keep a watchful eye out…Oh and don’t forget to pay special attention to the exposure of Hollywood and the untimely sudden deaths around the world….Wake – up America!
March 18th, 2009 at 6:39 am
so, I’m single,independent , poor, and made less than 3,000…. So I get nothing….. How does that make sense?
March 28th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I THINK WE SHOULD GET A STIMULAS CHECK THIS YEAY BUT SHOUL BE A LITTLE BIT MORE ME AND MY HUSBAND HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 10 YEARS WITH THREE CHILDREN AND I WORK ALL THE TIME AND HE HAS BEEN DIABLED SINCE 1997 AND WE STILL LIVE PAY CHECK TO PAY CHECK AND WE PAY ALOT OUT FOR MEDS. AND I CANT HARDLEY AFORD TO BY MY CHILDREN CLOTHS OR ANY THING ELSE SOCIAL SECURITY WONT EVEN LET MY CHILDREN DRAW A CHECK FROM THERE DAD AND THEY ONLY ALLOW ME TO MAK 800.00 A MONTH OR THEY WILL TAKE HIS MONEY AND MAKE HIM PAY IT BACK IF I GO OVER AND WE CAT LIVE ON THAT ALL THE TIME WE DONT EVEN ONE NEW CARS OR TRUCKS MY MOM LEFT ME MINE IN HER WILL WE DONT EVEN OWN A NEW HOUSE OR TRAILER WAS GIVED TO US AND WE EVEN HAD TO DO WORK IN IT TO LIVE IN IT BUT MY MOM HELPED WITH ALL THAT AND THEN A FEW MONTS LATER SHE DIED. SO I THINK WE SHOULD GET A STIMULAS CHECK IT DONT MATTER HOW MUCH EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS ITS TOUGH TO BE POOR ALL THE TIME.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:53 am
Is there going to be a stimulus check for 2009, like there was last year?
March 31st, 2009 at 11:56 am
Well Congress and President Obama have already passed a 2009 economic stimulus package…one that did not include a second round of stimulus checks for consumers. However, if this second economic stimulus plan doesn’t do the trick, I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama decides to inject more forced spending into the economy via second stimulus checks. As things currently stand however, it doesn’t seem likely anytime soon that an Obama stimulus check is in the works. Check here for more discussion and consumer chatter regarding the matter – 2009 Stimulus Check Discussion Thread
April 4th, 2009 at 6:57 am
We filed chapter 13 in 2006 and have made every payment. We did recieve our stimulas rebate in 2008. But the trustee is keeping our tax refund for 2008. In the filing of chapter 13 we were to get any thing under 1500.00 back from our tax refund. Which our tax refund is less that 1500.00 for 2008.Is this legal, becaue the rebate is not actually a tax refund?
What fustrates me if you file chapter 7 wipe out your debit. You still get all your refunds and accure new debit after discharge of chapter 7. You get punished for filing chapter 13 and try to pay what you owe. I know that not all people that file chapter 7 do that, but allot do. UNFAIR
April 23rd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
If wasa dependent of my parent last year, so they claimed for me (2008). This year they did not claim me, i filed my own taxes, i worked and made more than $3000, (I’m 19yrs old). Would I qualify to recieve it this year (2009)?
May 17th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
i was wondering if my son who is 5 was aproved for disabily in 2007 but my question is we dont recieve no funds for him cause they said my husband makes to much money believe me we live check to check with one incomethey go by your grossnot take home but my question is since he was aproved for disabily well he get a stimules check yes or no
May 29th, 2009 at 5:49 am
I am on a payment plan with the IRS for back taxes. Will they still intercept my rebate if I’m on a payment plan?
June 26th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
i am currently in default on my student loans and do not get income taxes or stimulus checks back. i am pregnant and will have a baby before the end of the year. i am also engaged to be married. if we get married i do not want his income tax return to also be intercepted. if we file seperately he will not get the child income credit, is that correct? is there any way around both of our taxes being intercepted? can we still get the child credit?