Prisoners are eligible for stimulus checks. See bottom of post for link to Facebook livestream event How to Get Stimulus Money for Incarcerated Citizens on Friday, October 9th – an in-depth presentation on how to apply for funds correctly.
Many of you have heard news about state and federal prisoners being eligible for stimulus checks. We’ve heard and seen lots of folks who believe this is only a rumor, warning that it would be fraudulent to apply.
We want to assure you that this is NOT a rumor. This is the result of a motion naming Steve Mnuchin, the Department of the Treasury, et. al., to stop withholding stimulus funds to incarcerated people. On September 24, a federal district court judge issued an order granting the motion. Read the order here.
We urge all our adopters to help their adoptees apply for their stimulus check – act FAST as the deadline is fast approaching.
People who did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return are urged to file a claim with the IRS before October 15, 2020, in order to receive a payment. If the prisoner filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return or received Social Security Benefits or Railroad Retirement Board Benefits, they do not need to file a claim. However, if they did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return and their income was below $12,200 (or $24,400 if filing jointly) in 2019, then a claim must be filed through the IRS’s website.
Prisoners without access to the internet can have someone file a claim for them, or they can complete a paper application. The instructions for a paper application are available here.
More information on the recent ruling regarding prisoners and CARES Act stimulus checks can be found here.
Note: This case also benefits people who were incarcerated both before and after March 27, 2020. If they were incarcerated both prior to March 27 and at least some time afterward, then the IRS may have denied them an Economic Impact Payment based on their incarcerated status. The Court’s preliminary injunction establishes that the IRS should not have done that. If they were only incarcerated before March 27, then they were unaffected by the IRS’s policy of denying benefits to incarcerated people, and should a have received a stimulus check. If they have not, they can file the same steps below to file a claim with the IRS, if eligible.
BREAKING NEWS: OCTOBER 5, 2020
IRS EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR FILING CLAIMS ONLINE TO NOVEMBER 21, 2020; IRS DOES NOT EXTEND DEADLINE FOR PAPER CLAIMS, WHICH ARE STILL DUE OCTOBER 15TH, 2020.
From National Right2Vote sawarimi.org:
How can I help an inmate in Louisiana to receive his stimulas ? He has filled out the form before October 30 2020 but still has not received nothing . He doesn’t owe child support . I don’t know how to help on his behalf. . Any help would be gratefully appreciated .
For prisoners who filed but received no (or partial) payment, they need to file using the 2020 1040 form, and fill out line 30 for the Recovery Rebate Credit. Blank & sample forms and instructions are here https://caresactprisoncase.org/update-irs-publishes-guidance-on-how-to-obtain-stimulus-payments-from-prison-during-2021-tax-season/?fbclid=IwAR3QO7aMg2Xr5U8_vRblXyjCB1MFJrIkX4kywDHGF3xQ0YSDO6pBaPVM_bo. Institutions are required to provide the form and instructions, but it is being reported that some are not. You can print the form and instructions, and send to the prisoner to fill out and mail in.