Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As part of its ongoing efforts to keep the public informed of its legal rights and responsibilities during the COVID-19 crisis, Virginia Legal Aid Society is sharing this urgent message about a looming deadline for some critical government benefits:

The IRS Monday issued a special alert for several groups of federal benefit recipients. Social Security retirement/survivor/disability recipients and Railroad Retirement recipients must act by noon this Wednesday, April 22, if they didn’t file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 and have dependents. Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans Affairs benefits have slightly more time as their payments will be made later.

Their $1,200 payments will be issued soon but, in order to add the $500 per eligible child amount to these payments, the IRS needs the dependent information before the payments are issued. Otherwise, their payment at this time will be $1,200 and, by law, the additional $500 per eligible child amount would be paid in association with a return filing for tax year 2020.

Both groups are urged to use the Non-Filer tool as soon as possible. Once their $1,200 payment has been issued, they will not be eligible to use the Non-Filer tool to add eligible children. Their payment will be $1,200 and, by law, the additional $500 per eligible child amount would be paid in association with a return filing for tax year 2020.

The IRS has additional material available on a special partners page that can be shared with friends, family members and community groups.