“I don’t file a tax return, how do I get my COVID-19 stimulus payment?”
This question applies to folks who have an income lower than required for filing, including individuals experiencing homelessness. If this is you, you are still entitled to those payments from the federal government.
At this time, the IRS has closed its system for non-filers to register to receive payments. As a result, the only way to get a payment is to file a tax return. This requires access to a computer with internet for e-filing. It also requires an address for receiving a check or debit card.
Between February 12, 2021 and April 15, 2021, the VITA program provides free tax filing services for low income individuals. Due to COVID, most of these services are being provided virtually and require a computer. However, there is very limited in-person services. There are also free online services for filing yourself. More details on these resources can be found here: https://www.whatcomabc.org/money-management/taxes/
After April 15th, we expect there will still be many individuals, particularly those experiencing homelessness, who will not have filed anything with the IRS to receive their payments, and will still be eligible. We are looking forward to using our tax knowledge to assist these folks in filing and receiving their federal COVID relief payments.
If you would like to volunteer to be involved in assisting our local homeless community with filing and receiving COVID relief payments, we will be happy to accept your contact information at this time. We will add you to our volunteer list and contact you in the spring when we start reaching out to provide community assistance.
To join our volunteer list, please:
Email: admin@thrivebusinessgroup.com
Use the subject line: volunteer – covid relief payments for homeless
In the body of the email, please include your name, phone, and email.