By way of background, the IRS is issuing stimulus checks/direct deposits to most US taxpayers who have an SSN. If your income was less than $75,000, you would get $1,200 and another $500 per dependent.
Interestingly enough, US citizens living overseas are eligible.
You can find more details here.
Part 1: It might not be a check
The first payments were in the form of physical checks (or direct deposit for those who had their direct deposit information on their 2018/2019 tax returns).
While they are still issuing physical stimulus checks, the federal government is sending 4 million “economic impact payments” in the form of prepaid debit cards. The IRS noted that individuals cannot specifically opt to receive the “EIP cards,” as they’re known, over a paper check. According to the Treasury Department, they are distributing the cards to individuals who don’t have their bank account information on file with the IRS. Also, to those whose tax returns were processed by the IRS service centers in Austin, Texas, and Andover, Mass. The first cards were mailed out last week.
Austin, Texas is the center which processes tax returns for American overseas. They might receive a debit card.
It can be a good thing for those whose ties to the US are so weak that they don’t have a US bank account to cask it to.
It also leads to confusion with some taxpayer discarding that envelope as spam. Here are the signs that that debit card is indeed the stimulus check money you’re been waiting for:
– It will arrive in a plain envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services”
– The name Visa will appear on the front of the card
– The back of the card has the name of the issuing bank: MetaBank
– Information will explain that card is your EIP card
Part 2: “the check is in the mail”
Many countries experience an interruption or disruption of their postal system due to COVID-19. If you are waiting for your stimulus check and you live in one of these countries, postal disruptions might cause that delay.
The affected countries are listed on the USPS Service alert website.
Part 3: The IRS is here to help
The IRS has created a new hotline you can use if you are waiting on your economic impact payment.
You can call 1-800-919-9835 and get answers on the status of your payment. Also, they have automated services and are adding call-center representatives.
I live in Germany and have not applied for first stimulus check. Can I still apply? If so, how? Thank you for your assistance. K. Bradley
Hi, Karoline! Yes, or you can claim it on your 2020 tax return next year.
Hello. I am a US citizen but I have been living abroad for the last 12 years. I have filed taxes for 2019 but I have not recieved my economic payment yet. Since my address is foreign I cannot get any information about through the all ‘Get My Payment’ as it does not accept foreign zip codes. Is there any way to check if I will receive the payment.
Thanks.
Hi Nithu!
A lot of checks are still in the mail. The IRS does not track them so it’s hard to determine where they are atm.
We received our check (here in Australia). Do I have to claim this in my Australian tax return?
Hi Ash,
You might need to report it. That being said, it is best you consult an Australian tax preparer. We prepare US tax returns.
I checked the status today and it says my first check was mailed in October and the second one is supposed to be mailed today. Is the address that they are mailing it to the one that I put in on the IRS website when I went to check the status? It’s a UAE address and I haven’t received anything. Is there anything I can do if I never receive either of them or do I just lose out on that money?
They will send it to the address you indicated at the top of your 2019 tax return.
If you didn’t receive them, you can claim them as a refundable tax credit on your 2020 tax return – at this point, you can also request to receive it via direct deposit to your US bank account.
I am tax payer, but foreigner works in Alaska. My daugther is US citizen who lives abroad. Can I claim my child dependent on my tax return? Is she eligible for stimulus check?
Yes, if you provide most of her support, you can claim her as a dependent.
You would receive an extra $500 on the first check by virtue of having her as a dependent, she wouldn’t receive a check. That assumes that you have a SSN (as opposed to an ITIN)
My children were born abroad and remain there. They acquired US citizenship through me and possess Social Security numbers as well as US passports. As they have never worked in the US and have no investments there, they have never filed IRS tax returns. They have NOT been claimed as child dependents on their parents’ 1040 for some time now as both are well into their twenties. Are they eligible for any of the COVID stimulus payments?
Hi Lawrence,
If they have US citizenship, they most likely qualify for the stimulus payment. The stimulus payment is assessed based on their previous tax returns. They might want to become tax compliant and then they will be eligible for the stimulus payments.
Warm regards,
Kasia