Thursday, October 2, 2008

Top 5 FAQs About Your Stimulus Payment

Here are the top five questions currently being asked about the stimulus payments. Perhaps one of them is your question.

Address Change
1) I have moved since filing my 2007 tax return. How will my payment reach me?

A. Filing Form 8822, Change of Address, with the IRS and a change of address notice with the U.S. Postal Service will help ensure that any mail from the IRS, including your stimulus payment check, is sent to your new address. If the check has already been mailed and you did not provide the IRS with an updated address, the check will most likely be returned to the IRS. You may call the IRS at 1-866-234-2942 to provide your new address so that steps can be taken to have the check reissued.

Payment Timing
2) When will I get my stimulus payment?

A. It will generally take 8-12 weeks after you file your return to get your stimulus payment.
The IRS has already issued stimulus payments, both direct deposits and paper checks, for most returns filed by April 15. The IRS will continue to issue payments through 2008 for returns filed after April 15. Please allow 8-12 weeks after filing your tax return before checking on the status of your stimulus payment. To check on the status of your stimulus payment, you may visit Where's My Stimulus Payment?or call the toll-free Rebate Hotline at 1-866-234-2942.

Haven't Received My Check Yet
3)
It has been more than eight weeks since I filed my return and my payment has not arrived. Can the IRS trace my payment to find out what happened to it?

A. Yes. If it has been more than eight weeks since you filed your return and your payment has not arrived, please visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistence Center or call the toll-free Rebate Hotline at 1-866-234-2942. A list of all Taxpayer Assistance Centers in your state is available at Contact My Local Office.

Is It Too Late?
4) I heard that the IRS has finished sending the stimulus payments. Is it too late to for me to claim mine?

A. It's not too late. There's still time to file and claim your economic stimulus payment. The IRS will continue processing tax returns and issuing stimulus checks for much of the year. Social Security recipients and veterans who don't normally need to file returns, as well as people who received extensions for filing, should file by Oct. 15, 2008, to make sure they receive a payment before the end of the year

Late Filed Returns
5) I filed after April 15 and the payment date for my Social Security number has passed. How long will it take for me to get my stimulus payment?

A. It will generally take 8-12 weeks after you file your return to get your stimulus payment.

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