Social Security recipients who don't usually file tax returns will automatically get $1,200 payments, Treasury says in reversal
Most high school seniors and college students still won't get any money at all.
The Treasury announced late Wednesday that Social Security beneficiaries who typically do not file a tax return will automatically get the $1,200 payment.
The announcement is a reversal from earlier in the week when the Internal Revenue Service said everyone would need to file some sort of tax return in order to qualify for the payments. Democrats and some Republicans criticized the IRS for requiring so many extra hurdles for this vulnerable population to get aid when the government already has their information on file.
The reversal came as the Trump administration tries to rapidly get stimulus payments out to Americans in the face of the quickest economic decline in modern history.
"Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return need to take no action, and will receive their payment directly to their bank account," said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
The
$2.2 trillion aid legislation, passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, directed the Treasury to look at Americans' 2019 or 2018 tax returns to determine if they are eligible for a payment. But the law also said Treasury should look at Social Security data for seniors and the disabled.
Criticism poured in after the IRS posted a
notice on its website on Monday instructing Social Security recipients who do not normally send in a return to file a "simple" tax return, which would be available soon.
More than 15 million Americans on Social Security do not file an annual tax return because their income is so low, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
