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Coronavirus stimulus checks by mail 'are on time' after President Trump name scramble, Treasury says

After the Treasury Department ordered President Donald Trump’s name be included on the printed checks, experts warned that the first batch of the checks could be delayed reaching American families. Democrats accused the president of putting himself above families in need of relief amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasury has now confirmed that the checks will be on time. The first batch of printed checks is expected to arrive in Americans’ mailboxes by April 24.

The design for the paper checks “are on time and actually ahead of schedule" for delivery to the Bureau of Fiscal Services, which will print and disperse the checks, a Treasury spokeswoman told Yahoo Money.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 07:  U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed National Security Presidential Memorandum in the Oval Office February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC. The memorandum launches a Trump administration goal, the “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity” Initiative, an initiative led by his daughter, Ivanka Trump. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump displays a signed National Security Presidential Memorandum in the Oval Office February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

‘Reprogramming historically has led to delays’

About 175 million Americans are eligible for the stimulus payments, according to the White House. Mnuchin stated on Wednesday that "more than 80 million Americans have already received their Economic Impact Payments by direct deposit." Americans can now track the status of their stimulus payments.

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The president’s printed name will appear on the left side of the paper check, the first time a president’s name will be printed on an IRS disbursement.

The checks were expected to be delayed because, “reprogramming historically has led to delays,” Chad Hooper, national president of the IRS-founded Professional Managers Association (PMA), told Yahoo Money on Wednesday.

Read more: Coronavirus stimulus check scams: How to avoid becoming a victim

Two members of the PMA with direct knowledge of the situation told Hooper that this would lead to a delay.

Mark Everson, a former IRS Commissioner and now the vice chairman of alliantgroup, noted that that the complication was “compounded by the fact that they’re not fully staffed [because] they’re not in the office doing a lot of this work. They’re stretched in the technology area and they’re under a tight timeline.”

Despite the time crunch, according to the Treasury, the IRS information technology team successfully added the president’s signature to the design and sent them to the Bureau of Fiscal Service as originally schheduled.

A worker sorts through newly-printed stimulus checks at the San Francisco Regional Financial Center in Emeryville, Calif., Thursday, May 8, 2008. The first batch of rebate payments started hitting bank accounts last week through direct deposits.  Bush administration officials are visiting government check printing centers around the country on Thursday for events highlighting the fact that millions of rebate checks are in the mail.(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
A worker sorts through newly-printed stimulus checks at the San Francisco Regional Financial Center in Emeryville, Calif., Thursday, May 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Who gets a stimulus check?

As part of a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package, many Americans will get government checks up to $1,200 — plus $500 per child — to help them ride out a job loss, reduced work hours, and other money challenges as the country tries to stem the pandemic.

“Our updated estimate is that 93.6% of [tax] filers will have a rebate,” Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at The Tax Foundation, said. “And this works out to approximately 140 million households.”

Your eligibility is based on your most recent tax return and your adjusted gross income. If you already filed your 2019 taxes, your eligibility will be based on that. If not, the IRS will use your 2018 taxes to determine if you qualify.

Read more: Coronavirus stimulus check: How to get one if you don’t file your taxes

An unidentified printer looks over stimulus checks at the Kansas City Regional Financial Center in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, May 8, 2008. The first batch of rebate payments started hitting bank accounts last week through direct deposits. Paulson, Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officialsare visiting government check printing centers around the country on Thursday for events highlighting the fact that millions of rebate checks are in the mail. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
An unidentified printer looks over stimulus checks at the Kansas City Regional Financial Center in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, May 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

The benefit is available not only to those who have filed taxes, but also to those who receive Social Security benefits as long as they’ve received their SSA-1099 or RB-1099 forms.

Read more: Tax deadline postponed: Why you should still file as soon as you can

Single adults with income up to $75,000 will get a $1,200 payment. Married couples with income up to $150,000 will get $2,400. Single parents who file as head of household with income up to $112,500 will get the full $1,200 check.

And, Americans who qualify for the stimulus payment and have children will get an additional $500 per child under 17.

Reduced checks will be available for single adults who earn between $75,001 and $99,000 and married couples who earn between $150,001 and $198,000. The check will be reduced by $5 for every $100 over $75,000 for single adults and $150,000 for married couples.

Who doesn't get a check?

Single adults who make more than $99,000 and married couples who earn more than $198,000 won’t receive stimulus checks.

Those without a Social Security number and nonresident aliens — those who aren’t a U.S. citizen or U.S. national and don’t have a green card or have not passed the substantial presence test — aren’t eligible.

You’re also ineligible if your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes.

How will the government send you the stimulus check?

The IRS will use the direct deposit information you provided from the taxes you’ve filed either for 2019 or for 2018.

If you have no direct deposit information on file or if the account provided is now closed, the IRS will mail you a check, instead.

When will the stimulus check arrive? It depends.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at a White House briefing on April 2, that those Americans who have signed up for direct deposit will receive their payment within two weeks.

Stimulus checks are printed at the Kansas City Regional Financial Center in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, May 8, 2008. The first batch of rebate payments started hitting bank accounts last week through direct deposits. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Vice President Dick Cheney and other Bush administration officials are visiting government check printing centers around the country on Thursday for events highlighting the fact that millions of rebate checks are in the mail.  (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
Stimulus checks are printed at the Kansas City Regional Financial Center in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, May 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

“Social Security, you’ll get it very quickly after that,” Mnuchin said. “If we don’t have your information, you’ll have a simple web portal, you’ll upload it. If we don’t have that, we’ll send you checks in the mail.”

The payments will be deposited directly into your bank account if you received your last tax refund or expect to receive this year’s refund that way.

Otherwise, checks will be mailed, which could take longer to get to Americans. Adding to the complications, about 6% of U.S. adults — or about 12 million Americans — do not have a checking, savings, or other bank account, according to a 2018 Federal Reserve report.

The New York Times, citing IRS guidelines that detail how Americans who aren’t usually required to file tax returns will need to do so to receive payments, noted the guidance “will almost certainly mean longer waits for those who must file new returns to be eligible to receive a stimulus payment.”

Americans with the lowest income will get mailed checks first, according to reporting by the Washington Post. Here’s the timetable for the first checks, per IRS documents seen by the Post:

  • Taxpayers with income up to $10,000: April 24

  • Taxpayers with income up to $20,000: May 1

  • Taxpayers with income up to $40,000: May 15

The rest of the checks will be issued by gradually increasing income increments each week. Households earning $198,000 who file jointly will get their reduced checks on Sept. 4. The last group of checks will be sent on Sept. 11 to those who didn’t have tax information on file and had to apply for checks, according to the Washington Post.

How can those who don’t file taxes get a payment?

Americans who don’t usually file taxes can register to get their stimulus aid checks on IRS website or use Turbotax’s free tool to file a minimum tax return.

TurboTax’s tool helps determine if you’re eligible for the stimulus payment. If eligible, you need to answer a few questions and choose whether to get the payment though direct deposit or check.

“There are as many as 10 million Americans who are not required to file a tax return,” TurboTax said in a statement. “Because the IRS will use the federal tax return to determine and send individual stimulus payments, these individuals are at risk of not receiving their stimulus payment.”

Social Security recipients and those required to file tax returns don’t need to provide additional information, but still must meet the eligibility criteria to get a payment.

Can you track the payment?

Yes. Those who are still waiting can track it online. Americans are also able to provide the Internal Revenue Service with their direct deposit information if it’s not on file with the agency.

“If you do not receive them by Wednesday, you’ll be able to put in your direct deposit information, and within several days, we will automatically deposit the money into your account,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday. “We want to do as much of this electronically as we can.”

The new tool allows Americans to follow the scheduled payment date for either a direct deposit or mailed check. It’s an online app that works on desktops, phones, or tablets and doesn’t need to be downloaded from an app store, The Treasury said.

To track your payment, you must provide basic information including:

  • Social Security number

  • Date of birth

  • Mailing address

The tool also lets people provide their bank account details to get their payment by direct deposit instead of waiting for a mailed check, which go out April 24.

If you filed a tax return in 2018 or 2019 but didn’t provide direct deposit information, you’ll be able to identify yourself, input that banking information, and receive the payment in several days in your account, according to Mnuchin.

To add direct deposit information, you will need to provide:

  • Adjusted gross income from your most recent tax return submitted, either 2019 or 2018

  • The refund or amount owed from your latest filed tax return

  • Bank account type, account, and routing numbers

Do you have to pay back the stimulus check?

No. The stimulus payment is actually a refundable credit against your 2020 tax liability, according to Kyle Pomerleau of the American Enterprise, and is paid out as an advanced refund. That means you don’t have to wait to file your 2020 taxes to get the money.

It also doesn’t reduce any refund you would otherwise receive, Watson said.

In fact, if you don’t qualify for the stimulus check now based on your 2018 or 2019 tax returns, you may be able to qualify to take the tax credit next year when you file your 2020 taxes if your income meets the thresholds.

Jessica Smith and Ben Werschkul contributed reporting.

Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova.

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