How Youth Can Access IRS Stimulus Checks
NAVIGATING ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS FOR YOUTH
As part of the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act provides Americans with some financial relief in the form of one-time direct cash transfers up to $1,200 (up to $2,400 for people who file or would file taxes jointly). To qualify for any payment, youth need to be above the age of 18, have a social security number, be an American citizen or a permanent resident, and cannot be claimed as a dependent.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Eligibility Requirements for the full $1,200 payment:
US Citizen or permanent resident
18 years or older
Possess a work eligible social security number
Filed taxes as an individual and earned below $75,000 in 2018 or 2019 ((the IRS will use whichever tax filing is most recent)
Youth that filed taxes as an individual and earned between $75,000 and $99,000 in 2018 or 2019 are eligible for a portion of the $1,200 payment.
Filed taxes as a head of household and earned below $112,500 in 2018 or 2019 (the IRS will use whichever tax filing is most recent)
Youth that filed taxes as a head of household and earned between $112,500 and $136,500 in 2018 or 2019 are eligible for a portion of the $1,200 payment.
Eligibility Requirements for the joint $2,400 payment:
US Citizen or permanent resident
18 years or older
Possess a work eligible social security number
Filed taxes jointly with a spouse and jointly earned below $150,000 in 2018 or 2019 ((the IRS will use whichever tax filing is most recent)
Youth that filed taxes jointly with a spouse and jointly earned between $150,000 and $198,000 in 2018 or 2019 are eligible for a portion of the joint $2,400 payment.
Eligibility Requirements for youth who did not file taxes in 2018 or 2019:
US Citizen or permanent resident
18 years or older
Valid social security number
Earned below $12,200 (or $24,400 for joint filers) in 2019
Youth was not required to file taxes for 2019
ACTIONS TO TAKE NOW:
If a youth you are working with has changed addresses since they last filed their taxes, fill out a change of address form here.
If a youth you are working with has made changes to their bank account(s) since they last filed their taxes, use this page to update that information.
If a youth you are working with is a non-filer, fill out the information requested at the bottom of this page. They will be expected to provide the following information:
Full name, current mailing address and an email address
Date of birth and valid Social Security number
Bank account number, type and routing number, if they have one (if they don’t have a bank account, the IRS will send them a check.)
Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) they received from the IRS earlier this year, if they have one
Driver’s license or state-issued ID, if they have one
For each qualifying child (if they have dependents): name, Social Security number or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number and their relationship to the youth or their spouse
If a youth you are working with is claimed as a dependent, they are not eligible to receive any payment.
If a youth you are working with is not sure they are being claimed as a dependent, here are some indicators that they could be claimed as a dependent:
19 years or younger
24 years or younger and attending an accredited institution full-time
Permanently or totally disabled
Half of their income is provided by someone that is a family relation as described by the IRS.
They have lived with a person they think may have claimed them as a dependent for more than half of the past year.
IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS:
To qualify for the full $1,200, youth who file taxes individually need to be earning below $75,000 a year based on their 2018 or 2019 tax returns, whichever one is their most recent filing. If youth are earning between $75,000 and $99,000, they will get a portion of the $1,200. If youth meet the above requirements, then the IRS should already have either their address, their direct deposit information, or both. This means that they do not need to take any action unless that information has changed. If their address has changed, they can submit a change of address here and the check will be mailed to them. If their direct deposit information has changed, the IRS has made a tool available here so that youth can input their new banking info.
For youth who file taxes as head of household, they are eligible for a $1,200 payment if they earn $112,500 or less and they meet the other requirements as outlined above. If they earn between $112,500 and $136,500, they are eligible for some portion of the $1,200 depending on their earnings. If their address has changed, they can submit a change of address here and the check will be mailed to them. If their direct deposit information has changed, the IRS has made a tool available here so that youth who are filing taxes as head of household can input their new banking info.
For youth who are married and filing taxes jointly, all the above qualifications remain, except earnings. Joint filers earning $150,000 a year and below will receive the full joint payment of $2,400. Joint filers earning between $150,000 and $198,000 will receive some portion of that $2,400 depending on their earnings from the last time they filed their taxes. If their address has changed, they can submit a change of address here and the check will be mailed to them. If their direct deposit information has changed, the IRS has made a tool available here so that youth who are jointly filing taxes can input their new banking info.
Youth who did not file their taxes in the past two years can also qualify for the payment. Youth are not required to file taxes if they earn less than $12,200 a year or have some other waiver from the IRS. Non-filing youth should follow the links on this page to ensure that they receive their payment.
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Payment Status Portal (where you can check the status of your stimulus payment and update direct deposit information)