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Meng Announces Timeline for Coronavirus Relief Payments

April 6, 2020
QUEENS, NY – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is working to distribute coronavirus relief payments that are being made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.
This relief package will provide payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child to help many taxpayers with the financial burden that they are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the House Ways and Means Committee, the IRS is expected to make approximately 60 million payments to Americans through direct deposit in mid-April (likely the week of April 13). The IRS has direct deposit information for these individuals from their 2018 or 2019 tax returns. This will include Social Security beneficiaries who filed federal tax returns that included direct deposit information.
Shortly (hopefully within 10 days) after the first round of payments are made in mid-April, the IRS plans to make a second round of payments. These payments will be made to Social Security beneficiaries who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019 and receive their Social Security benefits via direct deposit. The estimates are that nearly 99 percent of Social Security beneficiaries who do not file a return receive their benefits through direct deposit.
Approximately three weeks after the first round of payments are made (the week of May 4), the IRS is expected to begin issuing paper checks to individuals.
"People in Queens and across the nation are hurting, and this financial assistance will provide important short-term relief to families and workers," said Meng. "I will monitor these timelines to ensure that constituents receive their payments."
On Friday, Meng helped to introduce legislation that would allow immigrants who use an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) to receive these funds as well. Presently, the CARES Act only allows the money to be sent to those who file their taxes with a Social Security number, leaving millions of immigrants ineligible to receive these critical payments.
The timelines above are subject to change.