IRS Reopens Registration for VA Beneficiaries to Receive Child Stimulus Checks

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries who didn’t receive the additional $500 stimulus payment for children under age 17 now have until Wednesday, Sept. 30, to give information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in order to get compensation this year.

The original deadline was May 5. The extended period is for those who receive VA compensation and pension benefits and who have not filed their 2019 or 2018 tax returns or used the IRS non-filers tool. The reopened registration also applies to Social Security beneficiaries, Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) beneficiaries and railroad retirees.

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How it works

Go to irs.gov to use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info web tool to register. Enter basic information about yourself and your dependent or dependents, such as full names, mailing address, email address, Social Security numbers and other information. Once approved, the IRS will automatically send a payment in October.

VA beneficiaries will not be able to enter Direct Express debit card account information into the non-filers tool. Either enter bank account information to receive a payment by direct deposit or leave the bank account information blank to receive payment by mail, the IRS says.

You can check the status of your payments by using the Get My Payment tool on the IRS website. The IRS will also send a Notice 1444 in the mail after they send the payment. Keep this with your individual tax records.

If you received the original stimulus check by direct deposit, you will get any catch-up deposit in the same account. Others will receive a paper check.

If you are unable to access the non-filers online tool, information can be provided by following the instructions on this page. Anyone who misses the Sept. 30 deadline can claim the payment as a credit on their 2020 federal income tax return. 

The IRS automatically sent VA beneficiaries, who don’t typically file a federal income tax return, a $1,200 stimulus check in May. For Americans who are required to file returns regularly, the IRS is basing eligibility for stimulus payments, also referred to as economic impact payments, on 2019 tax returns (or 2018, if no 2019 return is on file yet).

Editor’s note: This story, last updated on April 27, has been changed to reflect information regarding the reopened registration.