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Washington, D.C., February 21st – Representative Jim Moran, Virginia Democrat, held a press conference this morning at the Walter Reed Senior Center in Arlington, urging those who received at least $3,000 in Social Security or Veterans Disability benefits last year to file an income tax return with the IRS in order to receive their $300 tax rebate check from the government.
“The economic stimulus package Congress passed last week included tax rebate checks for 130 million Americans,” said Moran. “For those who earned enough income last year to owe taxes, receiving your check is as simple as filing your normal tax return with the IRS. But for seniors relying on social security and veterans counting on disability payments – those who wouldn’t normally file a return -- this year is different. Filing a return means $300 in their pocket.”
The “Economic Stimulus for the American People Act” H.R. 5140, provides rebate checks from the IRS to over 130 million Americans in an effort to boost GDP to avoid or soften the blow of a potential recession. The package includes providing $600 checks to individuals earning less than $75,000 ($1,200 for couples earning less than $150,000) and an additional $300 per child.
For people who didn’t earn any income last year, but received at least $3,000 in either Social Security benefits or Veterans Disability benefits or Railroad Retirement benefits, they are eligible for a $300 check – but only if they file an income tax return with the IRS. The IRS projects that for early filers, the first checks will be delivered in mid-May.
Moran closed by saying, “If you have a relative, neighbor or friend you believe is eligible for a rebate, I encourage you to make them aware of the need to file a return this year. For more information on the stimulus rebates, please visit www.IRS.gov.”
Tax prep assistance:
IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) for low/moderate income taxpayers: call 1-800-906-9887
AARP Tax-Aide counseling: call 1-888-227-7669 for a tax aide site near you.
Statistics:
Households # Households Ave. Rebate Total Stimulus per State
Virginia: 3,300,000 $879 $2.9 billion
Maryland: 2,500,000 $840 $2.1 billion
District of Columbia: 200,000 $1,000 $200 million
Nationwide: 130,000,000 $900 $117 billion
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