Don't Mess With Taxes

The hubby and I will be getting our stimulus rebate check by May 9. Or maybe sometime after June 20.

That calendar calculation is based on the IRS' just-released rebate mailing schedule.

The May date is if our 2007 return ends up showing a refund and we have it directly deposited.

The June date is if we end up owing money. In that case, with no bank account information on our 1040, the IRS will mail our rebate check.

OK, I hear you yelling, "Enough already! We don't care when you will get your check. What about ours?!?"

Here's the deal. Checks will go out based on the final two digits of your Social Security number. This is how the IRS distributed the last rebates back in 2001.

Different this time, though, is the possibility of the rebate money being directly deposited. Below is the time table for folks who will include bank account numbers on their returns so that their refunds -- and rebates -- can go straight there:

And here's the schedule for rebates that will be issued as paper checks and snail mailed:

Since the delivery determinant is Social Security numbers, you probably won't be getting your rebate at the same time as your neighbors. So don't freak out if Joe down the street gets to start boosting the slowing economy sooner than you do.

Couples who file joint returns should expect their rebate money based on the first Social Security number listed on the return.

Special rebate cases: Even if you're a "timely filer" and get your return in by April 15, the IRS says that a small percentage of returns will require additional time to process and figure the rebate amount. In these cases, the payments may not be issued according to the above schedules.

As for filers who don't get their returns in until after April 15, the IRS says those rebates will be delivered about two weeks later than shown in the time tables.

And all filers must submit a return by Oct. 15 in order to get the rebate.

Nonfiler notice: If you usually don't have to file a return, you might need to do so this year.

Individuals who received at least $3,000 in certain types of income might be eligible for a stimulus payment. But these folks -- workers who didn't earn enough to require that they file or recipients of certain retirement benefits -- must send in a return this year to get the cash.

The IRS has set up special Web pages for these folks with stimulus payment questions:

• Low-income workers
• Social Security benefits
• Railroad Retirement benefits
• Veterans benefits

And all filers can find updates on the rebates at the IRS' Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center.

Getting an estimate: The rebate amounts range from $300 to $1,200, with extra cash for parents of children 16 or younger in 2007. But many factors, such as your exact tax liability and any federal or state debts (such as unpaid taxes or delinquent child support) could reduce a rebate amount.

To help you get a more precise reading of your expected rebate amount, the IRS has posted an online calculator.