IRS extends time for $500 per child stimulus payments

The Internal Revenue Service is giving taxpayers more time until Nov. 21 to register their dependents for the $500 per child Economic Impact Payments provided under the CARES Act.

The Internal Revenue Service is giving taxpayers more time until Nov. 21 to register their dependents for the $500 per child Economic Impact Payments provided under the CARES Act.

The IRS said Monday that it’s extending the time to give people who were unable to provide their information earlier. Under the CARES Act that was passed by Congress in March in response to the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic, the IRS sent out $1,200 to each taxpayer, plus an additional $500 per child. It originally relied on information from taxpayers’ 2018 and 2019 tax returns, but since in many cases the information was missing, out of date or incomplete, the IRS set up a portal where taxpayers could register their information.

An estimated 9 million people haven't yet received an Economic Impact Payment. The IRS needs to send out the stimulus by the end of the year. It is extending the timeline for registering until 3:00 p.m. ET on Nov 21. The deadline had been Sept. 30 until the latest extension.

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Shanna Laughton of Halogen Software

Shanna Laughton, CPA, CA, is the manager of global tax and payroll at Halogen Software. She has over 15 years of experience in public accounting, and providing tax and payroll solutions to organization across various industries. At Halogen, Shanna’s team is responsible for local and international payroll and tax functions.

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Meredith J. Deen began her career with FMSI in 1990. Currently, as COO, Meredith spearheads FMSI’s day-to-day operations with particular focus on Client Relations and Software Development. She remains focused on upholding FMSI’s commitment to ethics and high-level service with every client, prospect and partner interaction. As FMSI continues to grow, Ms. Deen works to ensure a course of continuous improvement in order to maintain our solid client partnerships. Ms. Deen previously worked for a large Southeastern financial institution and uses that experience to appreciate the day-to-day concerns of clients and prospects. Ms. Deen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics from Agnes Scott College and an Executive MBA from Georgia State University.

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Teresa Freeborn is chairwoman of CUNA's Awareness Advisory Group and president/CEO of Xceed Financial CU, El Segundo, Calif.

Following recent IRS programming updates, anyone who registers using the Non-Filers: Enter Info Here before the 3 p.m. Eastern Nov. 21 extended due date will receive an Economic Impact Payment, if they’re eligible. That includes federal beneficiaries who already received an EIP but didn’t receive a supplemental $500 payment for qualifying children.

The IRS headquarters in Washington
The IRS headquarters in Washington.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

The additional time will enable them to enter the information on their qualifying children using the Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov.

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Those who are eligible to provide this information include people with qualifying children who receive Social Security retirement, survivor or disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Railroad Retirement benefits and Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension (C&P) benefits and did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019.

The IRS is also encouraging anybody who didn’t have a requirement to file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 to register for an Economic Impact Payment by using the Non-Filers tool before the Nov. 21 deadline. The IRS originally didn’t have information on many of these taxpayers, so it was unable to send them the initial round of stimulus payments.

The IRS is encouraging people to choose direct deposit to receive their payments, as it will speed up processing when using the Non-Filers tool. Those who don’t choose this option will get a check in the mail instead. Starting two weeks after they register, people can track the status of their stimulus payments using the Get My Payment tool, accessible from IRS.gov.