Non-filers? You Could Still Be Eligible for a Stimulus Check
If you didn’t file an income tax return earlier this year, check your mailbox. Normally nobody wants to hear from the IRS, but you definitely need to be looking for anything that comes from the government agency.
It could mean serious money for you.
The Internal Revenue Service has started mailing letters to 9 million people and households who could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table because they didn’t file 2021 tax returns.
Those potential payments include:
- The third round of stimulus checks, worth as much as $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 for couples.
- Child tax credits of up to $3,600 per child.
- The earned income tax credit that’s worth up to $1,500 for childless workers, and rises to more than $6,700 for people who have at least three children.
We know the term “tax credit” isn’t exactly sexy, but in this case it could mean actual money in your pocket.
To get that money, you’ll need to file an income tax return by mid-November — even if you normally don’t need to file.
Who’s Eligible for This Money From the IRS?
Who are these 9 million people who could be eligible to get thousands of dollars from the IRS?
To be blunt, we’re mostly talking about low-income households. The IRS says people who weren’t required to file 2021 tax returns are typically individuals earning less than $12,500, or married couples who earned less than $25,000 last year.
But there are also higher-earning people who, for various reasons,