AARP Hearing Center
Most people who got a $1,200 stimulus payment last year via direct deposit will get their second-round $600 stimulus payment the same way — and likely more quickly than they did in 2020 — according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). That includes beneficiaries of Social Security, Railroad Retirement and other federal programs.
Automatic payments on the way
The $900 billion pandemic relief bill signed into law on Dec. 27 called for $600 stimulus payments to qualifying adults and child dependents. Individuals who reported adjusted gross income (AGI) of $75,000 or less on their 2019 tax returns will receive the full $600 ($150,000 or less AGI for couples filing jointly; $112,500 or less for heads of household). For people who earned more than those amounts, the size of the check will gradually decrease by $5 for every $100 earned over that threshold. Eligible dependent children under the age of 17 will also get $600 payments, up from $500 dependent payments in the first round of stimulus. Adult dependents claimed on someone else's tax return are not eligible for the additional payment.
The IRS will rely on the information they received when pushing out the earlier $1,200 checks to distribute the new $600 stimulus checks. Essentially, everyone who got a stimulus check in 2020 and who still qualifies will get a second check this year. That includes Social Security retirement beneficiaries and railroad retirees, as well as those receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits. The IRS began sending direct deposit payments to bank accounts on Dec. 29. It started mailing payments on Dec. 30.
"Most Social Security retirement and disability beneficiaries, railroad retirees and those receiving veterans’ benefits do not need take any action to receive a payment,” the IRS announced on Dec. 29. “Earlier this year, the IRS worked directly with the relevant federal agencies to obtain the information needed to send out the new payments the same way benefits for this group are normally paid. For eligible people in this group who didn't receive a payment for any reason, they can file a 2020 tax return."
Because the IRS already has their direct deposit or mailing information on file from tax returns, benefit statements or directly from other government agencies, most federal beneficiaries should get their $600 stimulus payments automatically. During the first round of stimulus checks, AARP worked hard to ensure that Social Security recipients and other federal beneficiaries received their payments. The IRS says federal beneficiaries who received their first stimulus payments via Direct Express should receive their second payments the same way.
