$1,200 Economic Impact Payments Frequently Asked Questions

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New! Information for Kansans who have Representative Payees, who live in residential facilities, and/or are Medicaid recipients. See full information at the bottom of this page.

- Representative payees do NOT have legal authority over economic impact payments, as they are not Social Security benefits.

- The payments are NOT meant to be used by group homes or nursing homes for your care.

- This payment will NOT affect your current or future eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Subsidized Housing or TANF, as long as it is spent with the next year. See all new questions and answers at the bottom of this page or on page 3 of the PDF.

What are COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments?

Economic Impact Payments are payments from the government to individuals and/or married couples that meet certain requirements. The payments are one of the relief aspects of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Am I eligible to receive the payment?

You are eligible for an Economic Impact Payment if -  
- You are a United States citizen or resident - You are at least 18 years old  
- You have a valid Social Security number 
- You are not claimed as a dependent  
- Your annual income is below: 
- $75,000 if you are an individual; 
- $112, 500 if you are the head of a household; or 
- $150,000 if you file taxes jointly as a married couple*

*If your annual income is higher than these amounts, you may still receive a payment at a lesser amount. More eligibility details can be found at: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impactpayment-information-center#elig

How much money will I receive?

Eligible individuals will receive $1,200 and married couples that filed taxes jointly will receive $2,400. Individuals or couples will receive an additional $500 for each dependent qualifying child under 17.

Do I have to do anything to receive the payment?

You will receive your complete payment AUTOMATICALLY if – 
- You filed taxes in 2018 or 2019; or 
- You are an SSI or SSDI recipient and you do not do not have any qualifying children under 17

I am an SSI or SSDI recipient and I have one or more qualifying dependent children under 17. What do I need to do to receive the additional $500 payment(s) for each child?

- If you are an SSI recipient, you have until MAY 5 to go to the following IRS page and click the “non-filers: enter payment info here” box at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here.  You will need to create a user ID and password. After you submit your information, check your email for a message from Customer Service at Free Fillable Forms. It will either say that you submitted everything successfully, or it will tell you that there is an error and how to fix it.

- If you are an SSDI recipient, the deadline has passed to use this tool to enter your information. You will not receive the additional $500 per dependent child, but you can claim the $500 payments on a 2020 tax return.

I was not required to file taxes in 2018 or 2019 because my annual income is below $12,200 or my spouse and I's income is below $24,400 and I don't receive SSI or SSDI benefits. Can I still receive a payment?

Yes. You must enter basic personal and bank account information by going to the following IRS page and click on the “non-filers: enter payment info here” box at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-paymentinfo-here.  You will need to create a user ID and password. After you submit your information, check your email for a message from Customer Service at Free Fillable Forms. It will either say that you submitted everything successfully, or it will tell you that there is an error and how to fix it.

How and when will I receive the payment?

- If you filed taxes in 2018 or 2019, you can check your payment status at  https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment, and you can choose to receive your payment as direct deposit or check if the payment has not been sent yet. 
- If you are an SSI or SSDI recipient, your payment will come through direct deposit, Direct Express debit card, or a paper check – whatever method your SSI or SSDI benefits are normally received. 
- You can see if your payment has been delivered and to which bank account it was sent, and when you can expect to receive your payment at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.  Information for SSI or SSDI recipients is not available at this site yet, but according to the federal government, those payments are expected to arrive before early May 2020.

I am an SSDI recipient and I missed the deadline to enter my dependent child’s information. Can I still receive my payment?

You will still receive your $1,200 payment automatically. However, you will not receive the additional $500 per dependent child at the same time. To receive these payments, you will need to claim them on a 2020 tax return.

What can I do if I don't receive my payment?

- The IRS plans to mail a letter to your last known address within 15 days of processing the payment. This letter will say how the payment was paid. If you receive this letter and you did not receive your payment, follow the instructions in the letter on how to report this. 
- If you want to check the status of your payment, visit https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment to see when and how it is expected to arrive, or if it has not been processed yet. However, it will still say “Payment Status Not Available” if you are an SSI/SSDI recipient, if you didn’t file taxes in 2018 or 2019, the IRS hasn’t finished processing your 2019 tax return, if you are ineligible for a payment, or another reason that the system doesn’t have your data yet.

Summary for SSI & SSDI recipients:

- If you do not have any dependents, you will receive your payment automatically, and you do not need to do anything.
- If you are an SSI recipient and have qualifying dependent children under the age of 17, additional action is required at https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here in order to receive the $500 per dependent payment.

WARNING:

Scammers are trying to use this opportunity to steal your money. The IRS will not ask for your personal or bank account information through text, phone, email, or social media accounts – if you receive requests through these methods, do not provide your information. Only use the portals and links on https://www.irs.gov.

I am an SSI or SSDI recipient and I have a representative payee. Will I receive the payment or is it sent to my payee? Does my payee have the right to tell me how to spend my payment or to keep the payment from me?

The payment will be sent direct deposit to the same bank account as your Social Security payments. This bank account is most likely controlled by your payee. However, your payee does not have legal authority over this payment, because they are not Social Security benefits. You control how this payment is spent, not your payee. Your Economic Impact Payment is not a Social Security Benefit. It is a payment issued by the IRS. If your payee tells you that you cannot have access to your Economic Impact Payment or your payee does not provide the payment to you by May, 31, 2020, please contact our office at 1-877-776-1541 or info@drckansas.org to report this issue.

I am an SSI or SSDI recipient, but I live in Group Home, Nursing Home or other institution.  Am I eligible to receive the Economic Impact Payment or does the payment go directly to the institution to pay for my care?

You are eligible to receive the payment to use as you wish. The payment is not meant to be used by the group home or nursing home for your care. If the group home or nursing home takes or tries to take your payment, or if you do not receive your payment by May 31, 2020, please contact our office at 1-877-776-1541 or info@ drckansas.org.

I have received the Economic Impact Payment, but I am concerned how this money will affect my eligibility for Medicaid? I don’t want to lose my health care benefits.

This payment is not to be considered as income or as a resource (asset) in determining eligibility for any federal means program for one year. As long as this money is spent within the next year, it will not affect your current or future eligibility for Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Subsidized Housing or TANF.