Stimulus Checks
An important part of the CARES Act stimulus package is one-time payments to eligible individuals. The payment, which the IRS is calling an “economic impact payment,” and many people are calling a “stimulus check” is expected to begin processing on April 15 and subsequently on Wednesdays thereafter.
The best resource for information is the IRS website, irs.gov, click the section called ‘Economic Impact Payment’.
Who is eligible?
To receive a check, you must have filed a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and meet the income requirements based on your return.
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- Most individuals earning less than $75,000 or up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns will receive check. (NOTE: For tax filers with income above those amounts, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000 thresholds.)
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- Eligible taxpayers who filed tax returns for either 2019 or 2018 can expect a one-time cash payment of $1,200 for individuals of $2,400 for married couples.
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- Families would get $500 per qualifying child.
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- That means a family of four earning less than $150,000 can expect $3,400. The checks start to phase down after that and will not be issued for people making more than $99,000 and couples making more than $198,000. The cash payments are based on either your 2018 or 2019 tax filings.
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- Social Security recipients and railroad retirees who are otherwise not required to file a tax return are also eligible and will not be required to file a return. Their checks will be based on information provided by the Social Security Administration.
Stimulus Funds Worksheet
To help you plan how best to use your stimulus funds, we’ve put together a worksheet with expenses for you to consider. Use this to help make the money work best for you and your family! Download the worksheet.
When and how will individuals receive stimulus checks?
The majority of people do not need to take any action.
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- For those who have direct deposit on file with the IRS from their 2018/2019 tax return, we are receiving payments from the IRS every Wednesday beginning April 15 until all payments are processed electronically.
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- If you receive Social Security, Railroad Retirement, or SSDI benefits, you do not need to take any action and will receive your payment directly into the same account as your Social Security.
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- If a direct deposit is not on record with the IRS, Social Security, Railroad Retirement, or SSDI benefits, a check will be mailed to the address listed on a person’s tax filing over the next few months.
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- For all other non-filers that would like to set up direct deposit to your account, follow the “Non-filer: Enter Payment Info” portal.
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- The US Treasury announced a “Get My Payment” app is available for tax filers to see when their payment will arrive. Find more questions and answers regarding your payment here.
FAQs
The IRS created an online tool, Get My Payment, that can be used by tax filers to check the status of your payment. According to the Treasury Department, you’ll need to enter your Social Security number, date of birth and mailing address in order to track your payment.
Find more questions and answers regarding your payment here.
The IRS “Get My Payment”online portal is now available, which allows tax filers that do not have direct deposit on file with the IRS to add it. To locate your ACH Account Number, log into uOnline and navigate to your account, then to the Account Details tab. For more detailed information on locating your ACH Account Number, see the FAQ below.
Find more questions and answers regarding your payment here.
- If you receive Social Security, Railroad Retirement, or SSDI benefits, you do not need to take any action and will receive your payment directly into the same account as your Social Security.
- For all other non-filers that would like to set up direct deposit to your account, follow the “Non-filer: Enter Payment Info” portal.
- Log into uOnline to access your ACH Account Number, under the Account Details tab. For more detailed information, see the next FAQ.
To locate your ACH account number in uOnline, follow these steps:
- Log in to uOnline
- Select ‘Accounts’ from Navigation Menu
- Click on Account from ‘All Accounts’ list
- Click on the ‘Account Details’ tab
- Navigate to the ‘ACH Account Number’ field which is captured below in the red box
If funds go to a closed account, the payment will be rejected, and the Federal Government will mail the Member a check.
The United States Department of Treasury
All U.S. Treasury checks are printed on watermarked paper. When held up to the light, the watermark reads “U.S. Treasury” from both the front and the back. Any check should be suspected as counterfeit if the check has no watermark, or the watermark is visible without holding the check up to light. Here is an image of a valid check:
For more information, click here.
For paper checks, use SnapCheck mobile deposit found on the Unitus mobile app or visit your nearest Unitus ATM. These are the easiest, quickest, and safest ways to make your deposit. You can download our mobile app for your iOS or Android smartphone.
Simply sign into the Unitus mobile app, tap the SnapCheck widget, and off you go.
Check out our ‘Mobile Deposit’ How-To Guide to get started.
As long as one of the check payees (the name/s listed next to “Pay to the order of:” line on the above check image) is on the account used to process your check, Unitus will accept the paper check through mobile deposit, ATM, or in person. Making deposits via mobile deposit or ATM is the easiest, quickest, and safest way to make your paper check deposit.
If the check payees name doesn’t match because you’ve had a life event that has caused a name change since your last tax filing (and your account is in good standing), please contact us to update your records ASAP by calling Unitus at 503-227-5571 or 1-800-452-0900 or log in to uOnline and use the Secure Message Center.
See our Security page for additional information on how to avoid these scams.