Stimulus checks and older adults: Could qualifications change for retired people, veterans, SSI?

Stimulus check talk has been huge this week among lawmakers, with the House currently debating President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID relief proposal, which includes a third stimulus check for up to $1,400 per person. It’s expected to go to tens of millions of older adults and could be approved within weeks. However, bipartisan support could be hard to come by, The Hill reported, if former President Donald Trump’s ongoing impeachment trial (watch it live here) further divides the Senate. Without it, the Democratic majority could attempt to pass the bill a different way, and a new wave of checks along with it.

If you’re an older adult with questions, we’ve got everything you need to know about the potential third stimulus check here. If you or any of your dependents are likely to qualify for the full amount, there will probably be some changes from the first two rounds. We’ll also walk you through what to do if some or all of your first or second stimulus payment never arrived — for example, you may have to claim it as an IRS Recovery Rebate Credit or request an IRS payment trace to track down those funds.

We’ll address some concerns you might have that could affect the amount of money you’re owed, including your tax filings, adjusted gross income, pension, Social Security benefits (such as SSI or SSDI) and whether you count as someone else’s adult dependent. Adding to the sense of urgency is tax season, which officially starts tomorrow, Feb. 12. This is when you’ll be able to claim any missing money from your first or second stimulus check, even if you don’t usually file taxes. This story was recently updated.

Who is considered an older adult, according to the IRS?

Anyone aged 65 or older at the end of 2019 is considered a senior adult on their taxes that year and beyond. (If you have questions about citizenship requirements, see more below.)

Am I eligible for any money at all from the stimulus checks?

For the first and second stimulus checks, whether you were eligible for any stimulus money (and if you were, how much money you could receive) hinged on whether you were considered a dependent and on your adjusted gross income, or AGI, from your 2019 federal tax filing. 

If you have a pension or investments that are taxable, those will affect your AGI, and therefore your eligibility for a stimulus check. The same is true for interest from a bank account. However, interest from tax-exempt bonds is not included in your AGI, so wouldn’t affect your stimulus payment eligibility. 

For a potential third stimulus check, some of the eligibility rules are likely to change — read on for more.

Will I get more money — or less — if a new stimulus check changes the eligibility rules?

There are several ways that qualifications could change with a third stimulus check. Biden’s proposal also includes a payment of up to $1,400 for all dependents, no matter their age, to be added on to the household’s total. That means if you support an adult child, for example, a college student, you may be able to get a higher stimulus check balance in the next round, if this qualification makes it into the final bill.

The move, if approved, would provide money to households on behalf of an estimated 13.5 million adult dependents, according to the People’s Policy Project.

Biden’s plan also includes families with “mixed-status” citizenship, where members have different immigration statuses. Both of these groups were left out of the first and second stimulus payments.  

Congress is currently debating whether or not it will “target” the checks to households with a lower income threshold, which could impact people who have significant investment income.

Here are other ways some households could potentially get more money with the next stimulus payment, or less.

If you’re missing some or all of your first or second stimulus payments, here’s what to do

If you haven’t received your first or second check by now, you will likely need to claim a missing payment using the Recovery Rebate Credit — that includes people who don’t usually file taxes, too. 

However, we recommend getting a little more information by using the IRS’ free Get My Payment online portal to see your stimulus status. If you use the Recovery Rebate Credit, your stimulus allotment will either be bundled with your tax refund or you’ll pay less tax in your return. We recommend filing your taxes as early as possible (here’s why) and registering your bank account for direct deposit with the IRS.

I’m typically a nonfiler, so how do I file my tax return this year?

A nonfiler is a person who is not required to pay taxes to the IRS during tax season. The requirement to file a tax return depends on your gross income, which is all income you receive in the form of money, goods, property and services that aren’t tax-exempt (more below). For 2019, the standard deduction amount for single filers was $12,200. 

However, if you’re claiming missing stimulus money in a Recovery Rebate Credit, even nonfilers will have to file a tax return this year. You may be able to use a special form and file for free. You will, however, need some specific information.

Your gross income is different from your adjusted gross income, or AGI, which is your gross income minus any eligible adjustments that you may qualify for. (Find out everything you need to know about how your taxes affect your stimulus payment here.)

If you’re age 65 or older, you should file taxes under the following circumstances:

• Single filer with at least $13,850 in gross income
• Head of household with at least $20,000 in gross income
• Married filing jointly (if one spouse is 65 or older, $25,700 in gross income; if both spouses are 65 or older, $27,000 in gross income)
• Married filing separately (any age, $5)
• Qualifying widow(er) age 65 or older with at least $25,700 in gross income

In the 2019 tax year, the IRS introduced Form 1040-SR, US Tax Return for Seniors. This form is basically the same as Form 1040, but has larger text and some helpful information for older taxpayers. 

What is my gross income and how can I find it? 

Your gross income (again, this differs from your AGI) includes income from selling your main home, and gains (but not losses) reported on Form 8949 or Schedule D and from sources outside of the US. 

Your gross income does not include any Social Security benefits, unless:

• You are married but filing separated, and lived with your spouse at some point in 2019.
• Half of your Social Security benefits plus your other gross income and any tax-exempt interest is more than $25,000 filing single (or $32,000 if married filing jointly). 

If either of those is the case for you, you can check out the Instructions for Forms 1040 and 1040-SR or Pub. 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits to figure the taxable part of Social Security benefits you must include in gross income.

How do I know if I’m considered a dependent on someone else’s taxes? 

Some older people may count as a dependent on someone else’s taxes, called a “qualifying relative.” For example, you may live with your children. In terms of stimulus check qualifications for the second payment, the main tax filer would have had to claim you as a dependent on their tax form 1040 in 2019. 

A qualifying relative can be any age. To be counted as a qualifying relative on someone’s tax return, the person must meet four criteria: 

• Do not count as a qualifying child dependent.
• Live with the family member all year as a member of their household, or count as a relative who does not have to live with you all year (such as a parent or grandparent, a stepparent, or a sibling).
• Have a gross income for the year of less than $4,200.
• Have more than half of your support during the year come from that family member.

If you were a dependent on someone else’s taxes and were over the age of 16, you were not qualified for any stimulus money at all in the first or second round of stimulus checks. Biden’s current proposal, however, would allow dependents of all ages to be eligible to add up to $1,400 to the household’s total payment. 

Am I still eligible for a stimulus check if I’m a recipient of SSI or SSDI?

If you’re over age 65 and a recipient of Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance, you were eligible for a first and second stimulus check, and should be eligible for a third, if one is approved. Find out everything you need to know about how SSI and SSDI impact stimulus checks here. 

I’m over 65 with dependents, but never got the additional $500 with the first payment or $600 with the second — what now?

If you’re age 65 or older and have a child dependent age 16 or younger who qualified for an extra $500 under the CARES Act, or an extra $600 under the December stimulus bill, you’ll have to claim your stimulus payment on behalf of eligible dependents as a Recovery Rebate Credit.

If I’m not a US citizen but still pay taxes, can I get a stimulus payment?

Under the December stimulus bill, non-US citizens, including those who pay taxes, were not eligible to receive the $600 payment, unlike with the first round of checks. Under the CARES Act, all US citizens and non-US citizens with a Social Security number who live and work in America were eligible to receive stimulus payments. That includes people whom the IRS refers to as “resident aliens,” green card holders and workers using visas such as H-1B and H-2A. 

If your citizenship status has changed since you first got a Social Security number, you may have to update the IRS’ records to get your check. US citizens living abroad were also eligible for a first payment. 

For the third payment, Biden’s proposal includes checks for “mixed-status” citizenship families — families with members with different immigration statuses — who were left out of the first two checks.

Which groups of older adults were eligible for the first two stimulus checks?

And what about veterans, dependents and members of SSI and SSDI programs? 

Social Security recipients and retired railroad workers who were not required to file a tax return in 2018 or 2019 were eligible for the first two stimulus payments, and were not required to file a tax return to get their check, according to the IRS. The payments were based on information contained in their 1099 benefit statements, with no additional paperwork required. 

Supplemental Security Income recipients without dependent children should have received stimulus payments automatically, without having to file any additional paperwork as well. The same is true for people who receive Compensation and Pension benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

People who are part of the Social Security Disability Insurance program who were not required to file tax returns for 2018 or 2019 should also have automatically received a first and second stimulus payment. (Find out more about how SSDI impacts stimulus payments here.)  If you did not receive all or part of your money, you’ll need to claim it as a Recovery Rebate Credit.

However, older people who were claimed as a dependent on 2019 tax forms were not eligible for a first or second stimulus check.

For more, check out what we know so far about a third stimulus check, and when the IRS might send a new payment out.