BIRMINGHAM – Following calls from U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and a group of 41 senators, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that Social Security recipients will automatically receive direct cash assistance included in the CARES Act without having to file tax returns.
On Wednesday, April 1, Senator Jones and a group of his Democratic colleagues called on the Treasury Department and Social Security Administration to ensure that all Social Security beneficiaries will automatically receive the direct assistance included in the CARES Act without having to file tax returns. While the CARES Act that the president signed into law last week ensured that the Treasury Department had the authority to send automatic direct cash assistance to Social Security beneficiaries regardless of whether they file taxes or not, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released contradictory guidance earlier this week stating that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct payments.
Senator Jones:
“We need to make it as easy as possible for folks to get the help they need during these difficult times, especially given the record-shattering unemployment numbers we saw today,” I’m relieved that the Administration reversed course here to allow Social Security recipients to automatically receive the direct cash assistance provided by the CARES Act without having to file a tax return. My office has received numerous calls and messages from Alabamians about this issue, and I hope that this announcement finally clears up any confusion or concerns that Social Security recipients may have about the benefits included in the economic relief package we passed through Congress last week.”
Read the full letter here and below:
Dear Secretary Mnuchin and Commissioner Saul:
The COVID-19 public health emergency is taking a massive economic toll on families across the country. To provide immediate financial assistance to struggling individuals during this crisis, Congress passed and the President signed the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This legislation directly provides most Americans with stimulus payments to help cover necessary personal expenses.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically send stimulus payments to eligible taxpayers who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return. However, many Social Security beneficiaries, including retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, typically do not file tax returns. To ensure that these vulnerable individuals automatically receive stimulus payments, the CARES Act explicitly provides the Treasury Department with the authority to provide payments to seniors receiving Social Security retirement benefits and to individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits, even if these individuals do not file tax returns.
Unfortunately, on March 30, the IRS published guidance indicating that the agency may require recipients of Social Security retirement and disability benefits to file 2019 tax returns to receive stimulus payments. This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs during the COVID-19 crisis.
Along with colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee, we strongly urge you to ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return.
Media Release/Office of alabama Senator Doug Jones/Caroline Stonecipher
