Will Social Security Disability Recipients Get More Stimulus Checks?

Will Social Security Disability Recipients Get More Stimulus Checks?

The COVID-19 pandemic caused so much disruption in the American economy that the government sent almost everyone three rounds of “Economic Impact Payments,” what most of us called stimulus checks. As of the time of this blog post (April 2022), there are no new federal stimulus payments scheduled to be sent to anyone. But, if you did not receive one or more of your stimulus payments, there are steps you can take to get the money you missed.

If You Did Not Get Your 3rd Stimulus Payment

The third federal stimulus check was intended to be an advance payment of a tax credit. You would have been able to claim the tax credit when you filed your 2021 tax return. Instead, the government sent the money to everyone early.

If you did not get your 3rd stimulus payment, then you can still get the money by filing for a 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit when you file your 2021 tax return. But you must file the 2021 tax return to receive the payment’s value. If you already filed your return, it’s not too late. You can amend your 2021 tax filing by filling out and filing a form called Form 1040-X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.  Even if you don’t usually need to file a tax return, you must file a tax return to get your stimulus payment Recovery Rebate Credit.

What Is the Recovery Rebate Credit?

The Recovery Rebate Credit is a way for people who were eligible to get a federal stimulus check to get their payment in the form of a tax credit. Here’s how it works.

When you fill out your federal income tax return, line 30 of Form 1040 will ask you to enter any amount of the third-round stimulus payment that you are still owed. For example, some people did receive a third-round stimulus payment, but the amount was inaccurate. The 3rd stimulus check was supposed to be $1,400 per person in your household. But what if you had a child since your previous year’s tax filing? The government would not have included the new child as a dependent. So, you are still owed $1,400.

If you received less than you were supposed to, or you received no 3rd payment at all, then you would put the amount you are owed on line 30 of Form 1040. If you owe taxes to the IRS, you will deduct the amount you entered on line 30 from your tax due. If you owe less than is owed to you for your 3rd stimulus payment, then the government will send you the difference as a tax refund.

If you are owed a refund already, then the refund will be increased by the amount of stimulus money you are still owed.

Did Your Income Drop in 2021 Because You Were Disabled?

The third federal stimulus payment was limited to people whose income did not exceed an eligibility cap. But the income used to calculate your eligibility was that reported on your 2020 income tax return. What if you became disabled in 2021 and you suffered a severe cut in your income?

Eligibility for the first two stimulus checks were also limited by income, but the ceiling was much higher. For the third stimulus payment, anyone making the following incomes were not eligible:

• Single with income above $80,000
• Married filing jointly income above $160,000
• Head of household income above $120,000

If you earned above these levels in 2020, then you would not have received a third-round stimulus payment. However, if you became disabled in 2021, and your income dropped below these levels, then you should have received the third stimulus check. As we noted, you can correct the error on your 2021 income tax return by entering the amount you are owed on line 30.

If You Did Not Get Your 1st or 2nd Stimulus Payment

Are you one of the people who did not get any stimulus payments?

If you were eligible to receive Economic Impact Payments but did not get them, it may be because you did not file federal income tax returns for 2019 or 2020. You can still get the money by filing tax returns for those years now. It’s not too late. The same Recovery Rebate Credit is available for those years.

MJ Ellis Disability Law Is Ready to Help

Attorney Maryjean Ellis has committed her professional legal career to fighting for Northern New Jersey’s disabled residents. By founding MJ Ellis Disability Law Office, she provided individuals and families whose lives have been changed because of a disabling injury or illness with the experienced Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) advocate they need to win the highest disability benefits they qualify for.

If are disabled and have questions about whether you qualify for more of a stimulus check than you received, MJ Ellis Disability Law is ready to get you all the answers you need and to fight for your rights to other benefits.