Stimulus Deadline for Eligible Social Security Beneficiaries With Kids Extended

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Aug 15, 2020 06:51 AM EDT

The stimulus deadline of $500 per child for some Social Security recipients has been extended.

According to CNN, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is giving Social Security recipients with kids more time to register to get the $500 per child due to them as part of their full stimulus payment.

On Friday, the IRS said eligible beneficiaries would have until September 30 to register their information online, and payments could be received by mid-October, as per CNN.

Most of the Social Security recipients and Railroad Retirement and veterans pension beneficiaries are not required to file the tax returns due to having an income lower than the filing threshold.

The IRS said some people, who received their $1,200 stimulus payment automatically, may have missed out on the extra $500 per child because the IRS did not have that information on file, the CNN reported.

Stimulus Deadline: Extends for Eligible Social Security Beneficiaries

(Photo : Spencer Platt)
America Gets Tax Rebate Checks 392397 03: A tax payer looks at his rebate check July 25, 2001 in New York City. The U.S. government is sending out 92 million tax rebate checks over 10 weeks as part of the Bush administrations tax break.

The stimulus deadline to register for the added benefits was supposed to be on April 22, and the IRS gave only 48 hours notice of that deadline.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said an estimated of 600,000 child dependents' families are at risk of missing out on the payment.

Claimants can start putting the dependents' information on the IRS' "non-filer" tool via its website on August 15. Children under the age of 17 will qualify for the additional aid.

Those who missed the April deadline but used the non-filer tool by May 5 would not have to take further action. The IRS said they can still receive the additional cash in October.

Meanwhile, recipients who received the original payment through direct deposit will get extra money deposited to the same account, while others will receive a check.

Beneficiaries who will miss the September 30 deadline need to wait until next year to claim the additional money as a credit on their 2020 federal income tax return.

According to MSN, the IRS has already sent more than 160 million economic stimulus payments since March. The distribution started after Congress authorized the program as part of its larger aid response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Another round of stimulus payments has been proposed both by the Republicans and Democrats. However, lawmakers failed to reach a deal on a new stimulus package. No agreement would likely be passed before September, as per MSN.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said IRS employees have been working non-stop to deliver more than 160 million Economic Impact Payments (EIP) on time.

"Given the extremely high demand for EIP assistance, we have continued prioritizing and increasing resource allocations to eligible individuals, including those who may be waiting on some portion of their payment," Rettig noted.

According to The Hill, payments approved in March's emergency COVID-19 relief law or the CARES Act are set to be issued in mid-October.