PHOENIX – Following Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s request, Arizona recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will automatically receive their rebate check under the CARES Act and will not be required to file a tax return. The IRS and the Treasury Department project that these automatic payments will go out no later than early May.
“The CARES Act intended for Arizonans receiving Supplemental Security Income to receive their direct cash assistance without filing taxes or other barriers. The IRS was right to reverse course and follow the intent of the law, and I’ll continue ensuring Arizonans get the support they need during this public health crisis,” said Sinema.
Arizona SSI recipients are seniors with little to no income or living with profound disabilities, who often do not need to file federal tax returns. The IRS’ new announcement noted that SSI recipients who are not claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer and with no qualifying children do not need to take any action in order to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. The payments will be automatic. SSI recipients who have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment. They should now go to the IRS’s webpage at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-info-here and visit the Non-Filers: Enter Your Payment Info section to provide their information. By taking proactive steps to enter information on the IRS website about themselves and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment.
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.
