Sinema targets federal government’s rule preventing some Arizonans from receiving their dependents’ CARES Act payments
PHOENIX – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema objected to the Department of Treasury’s and the IRS’s arbitrary and unfair rule that would prevent some Arizona Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and VA Compensation and Pension (C&P) beneficiaries from receiving their economic stimulus payments for their children in a timely manner.
“Announcing a new requirement—with less than three days’ notice—will cause thousands of Arizonans to miss their $500 dependent payments this year. This barrier is unnecessary and unacceptable, and I’ll continue working across the aisle to fix this problem,” said Sinema.
The IRS announced late on April 20, 2020 that some recipients had a short window to register their dependent children online using the IRS’ web tool to receive their two payments together this year. If they miss this window, the individual may not receive their $500 dependent payment for their children until 2021 when they file their 2020 taxes.
The IRS initially sent guidance that low-income beneficiaries of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, and VA C&P beneficiaries did not have to file taxes or take additional action to receive their $1,200 stimulus payments. Many households will fall behind as the IRS’ new guidance only gives recipients a short window to take action when they were initially told no additional action was necessary. Sinema’s letter asks not to delay everyone’s payments, but rather allow these households to get payments for their dependents on a rolling basis or to set a more reasonable deadline. By doing so, the IRS would give veterans service organizations, senior groups, and others the time to conduct a much more robust public awareness campaign.
Sinema recently pressed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure veterans and Arizonans with disabilities getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receive rebate checks without having to file 2019 tax returns if their income falls below the federal threshold for filing.
On April 1, 2020, Sinema urged the IRS to follow the CARES Act law, after the agency released guidance contradicting provisions of the CARES Act that states Social Security beneficiaries do not have to file taxes to receive their assistance. After calls from Sinema, the IRS issued new guidance that seniors and individuals with disabilities who receive Social Security benefits will get their rebate checks without filing a tax return.
Sinema has also added a resources page to her website, www.sinema.senate.gov/corona, for Arizonans looking for the latest information on coronavirus.
Click HERE for Sinema’s letter.