Rebate checks to arrive sooner

Tennessee's spring tax holiday underway

Snipes tax fine follow up

Rebate checks to arrive sooner

Friday, April 25, 2008

Dubya took off his blinders today and actually admitted that "It's obvious our economy is in a slowdown."

Then, simultaneously patting himself on the back, he announced that delivery of the economic stimulus rebate checks has been accelerated by a week.

The IRS hasn't yet updated its official Web page showing the new rebate delivery schedule, which is still based on the last two digits of a taxpayer's Social Security number. But I've adjusted the ones previously posted here on the ol' blog.

First we have the new timetable for folks who included bank account information their 2007 returns so that their refunds -- and rebates -- can go straight there:

**Rebate Direct Deposit Schedule**
SSNs ending in 00 through 20	Deposited by April 28
SSNs ending in 21 through 85	Deposited by May 5
SSNs ending in 76 through 99	Deposited by May 12

And here's the new schedule for actual rebate checks that will be delivered by your U.S. Postal Service carrier:

**Rebate Mailing Schedule**
SSNs ending in 0 through 9	Mailed by May 9
SSNs ending in 10 through 18	Mailed by May 16
SSNs ending in 19 through 25	Mailed by May 23
SSNs ending in 26 through 38	Mailed by May 30
SSNs ending in 39 through 51	Mailed by June 6
SSNs ending in 52 through 63	Mailed by June 13
SSNs ending in 64 through 75	Mailed by June 20
SSNs ending in 76 through 87	Mailed by June 27
SSNs ending in 88 through 89	Mailed by July 4

How convenient that the last of the mailed checks will go out Independence Day week. Surely that's just serendipitous ... Not!

Why, other than for political reasons, the faster pace? Treasury spokesman Andrew DeSouza says payments are going out ahead of schedule thanks to a new computer program that now updates records daily rather than weekly.

Remember, though, that this new delivery schedule applies only to folks who've filed their 2007 returns. If you got an extension (like the hubby and me), you won't see your rebate money until you finally get your Form 1040 into the IRS.

Update May 5, 2008: This post has generated a lot of reader questions. I've answered some of them in this subsequent post, Readers question rebate delivery methods, and will be posting other Q&As from the comments below in future postings.

Posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 12:10 PM in Politics, Tax rebate | Permalink | Comments (25)

Comments

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The IRS did not push up the dates for the checks mailed out. They only pushed up dates for direct deposits. If your SSI number is between 89-00 the mail out date is still July 11th as first stated.

Posted by: donna | Monday, July 07, 2008 at 02:33 PM

Christy,
It looks like the IRS has not officially pushed the delivery dates up across the board. But I know some people who have gotten their checks before their officially scheduled delivery date. So go by the IRS on-site date and hope for the best!

Posted by: Kay | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 04:44 PM

The IRS finally updated our info on their "Where's My Refund" page. But it still says the later, July 11, date, rather than the supposed "last" date of July 4 as indicated above. Does anyone know if they're still ahead of schedule or not? Should I go by what it says online or are they actually going out a week earlier than that?

Posted by: Christy | Monday, June 30, 2008 at 01:27 PM

good site you have thanks

Posted by: joe joe | Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 04:17 AM

Well...still not getting any information on line but when I called IRS today was told the rebate will be deposited on May 16! And I thought it was scheduled to be deposited earlier as they indicated. Shame on me!

Posted by: sheila | Monday, May 12, 2008 at 08:25 PM

You know what you gotta do when life gets you down???

just keep swimming -
just keep swimming -
that's what you do

That's what Dory told me

Posted by: TC | Monday, May 12, 2008 at 08:51 AM

received notice that I would receive rebate.....should receive by May 12....guess what! checked IRS site and rec'd message..we are sorry no information available...blah, blah, blah
what gives?

Posted by: sheila | Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 02:22 PM

Same issue as most...was scheduled for today or earlier since they are "ahead of schedule", checked my account today...but still nothing. I met all the qualifying criteria and have no debt.

Posted by: Jay | Friday, May 09, 2008 at 10:29 PM

Hello. I have the same problem as many of the others asking questions and this is the ONLY web-site I found that is offering any kind of answer whatsoever. I really dont want to bit** about this money because this time last year, I didnt know or expect to be getting it and am grateful that I am now. But its like dangling candy in front of a two year old. I was supposed to get mine today and nothing. I know that i do not owe anything and made all the qualifying items and also have a qual. child. Possible problems?!Im military and I qualified for the EIC and no fed taxes were taken from any of my checks, would that have anything to do with it?

Posted by: Jesi | Friday, May 09, 2008 at 10:24 PM

I'm on the 'before May 5' schedule for direct deposits and have been looking for something eversince. How do we find out? Who do we talk to? If you give me something and tell me when you're going to give it to me, why should I have to find out when it's coming?

Posted by: kollette | Wednesday, May 07, 2008 at 04:42 PM

If you received your tax refund by direct deposit that is the only way to receive your tax rebate by same. Any other method (i.e. H&R Block Refund Anticipation Loan or getting tax refund mailed to address etc) and you will receive your rebate check by mail (no exceptions and NO way to change after the fact)

Posted by: Michael | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 03:16 PM

I filed taxes through TaxAct, they recieved my refund, deducted 30 for filing, then sent my direct deposit. So does that mean my rebate will come in by check?

Posted by: Kathy | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 11:17 AM

Ok, to say it mildly...I'm PO'd! I have been checking "schedules" of deposits, there are 3 different ones. We thought we would have our deposit by 5-2. Nope! Ok, 5-5? Not yet! Now grant it, it is early but then I have found another "schedule" that says deposits for our SS# bracket "start" today and will be done by 5-9! We are at the bottom of that SS# bracket being 75 but that is when our deposit was originally scheduled. It was said that the checks were "ahead of schedule by one week!" Which means we should have had our by 5-2! All I have to say is by the end of today I had better see a deposit into our checking account. Good luck to everyone else!

Posted by: Kim | Monday, May 05, 2008 at 05:39 AM

i just cruised the IRS website for an hour. I efiled my taxes and got them directly deposited the third week in Feb. I was supposed to get my check deposited today, but nothing. Who do we bug to get our checks?

Posted by: angi | Friday, May 02, 2008 at 11:57 PM

I e-filed my taxes and had them direct deposited into my checking account. My social security # is among the #'s that were supposed to be deposited today. I did not receive a deposit today. How can I find out what's wrong and when I will get the deposit?

Posted by: Rachel | Friday, May 02, 2008 at 05:02 PM

The comments to this entry are closed.

Weekly Tax Tip

Home office tax deduction rules — The coronavirus pandemic has meant millions of us now do our jobs from home. But that doesn't mean every new work from home (WFH) employee gets to claim the home office tax deduction. In fact, the Internal Revenue Service expressly says if you're getting a salary for your WFH efforts, you're not eligible for this tax break. Here are the other rules about who can and can't write off a home office. (Aug. 7, 2020)
Check out all the latest post-Tax Day tax advice in the 2020 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Many of these once-a-week tips will focus on planning moves to cut your 2020 tax bill.
If, however, you got an extension and are still working on your 2019 return, you can get a refresher of the 2020 Filing Season Tax Tips at their respective monthly pages:
January, February, March, April, May, June and July.

COVID-19 & Taxes

Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
on the 2020 tax season.
This Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Taxes page has details.

All About Kay

OK, some about Kay

Kay Bell — Native Texan (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.

My Other Accounts

Tick ... Tick ... Tick

Tax Season 2020 continues!
Are you among the millions of taxpayers who got an extension to file tax year 2019 returns? Thanks to this year's coronavirus-delayed July 15 Tax Day, your new Oct. 15 tax filing deadline will be here before you know it.

The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column should help you focus on your taxes during this extension period.
If you've already sent in your 2019 Form 1040, look for those monthly moves that offer advice on ways to cut your now accruing 2020 tax bill.

Also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will help you keep track of how much time you have until that absolutely final fall filing due date arrives.
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

The Dog Days of August are here!

via GIPHY
That usually means being like the pup above and taking it easy during these hot, sultry days as summer winds down. 2020, however, is not a usual year, tax or otherwise. So instead of dogging it this August, let's get to making some potentially money-saving tax moves.

Aug. 1: If when you filed your tax return back on the COVID-19 delayed July 15 Tax Day, you were surprised by either the size o f your refund or how much you owed, now's the time to make sure that doesn't happen next year. A paycheck check-up can help you determine whether you need to adjust your withholding.

Aug. 3: If, however, you are among the millions who lost your job, either as a short term layoff or permanently, due to the economic chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic, you also have some tax considerations. The main one involves any unemployment benefits you receive. This government support is taxable income, usually due as estimated tax payments. The next one's not due until next month, but with money tight, you need to start thinking now how you'll pay it.

Aug. 7-9: The coronavirus threat has left the start of some schools in limbo. Sixteen states, however, scheduled back-to-school state sales tax holidays this summer. The bulk of them are this weekend: Florida (Aug. 7-9), Iowa (Aug. 7-8), Missouri (Aug. 7-9), New Mexico (Aug. 7-9), Ohio (Aug. 7-9), Oklahoma (Aug. 7-9), South Carolina (Aug. 7-9), Texas (Aug. 7-9) and Virginia (Aug. 7-9).

Tennessee is trying to spur food sales with its Aug.7-9 tax holiday by waiving collection of the levy on food and drink sold by restaurants. And Maryland's weeklong tax-free event starts this Sunday, Aug. 9, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 15.

Connecticut's holiday starts Aug. 16-22, with Massachusetts closing out the summer sales tax holidays the last week of the month, Aug. 29-30.

July 10: Most restaurants across the country closed earlier this year due to COVID-19. Some opened, then reclosed as the virus resurged. And many eateries simply stuck with take-out meals and deliveries. Whether you're able to dine in or still getting food brought to your house, remember to tip your server or delivery person.

If a tip isn't included in your food delivery charge, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.

As for servers who now are back on the job, remember that your tips are taxable income. If you worked at least some of June at a job where you got gratuities, you need to account for them today if they came to at least $20 last month. Use Form 4070 to report your tips today to your employer.

Aug. 18: We're entering the heart of the Atlantic hurricane season. If you haven't already done your storm prep, do it. Now.

Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expect 2020 to bring as many as 19 named storms, with six to eight possibly becoming hurricanes. Three to six could reach major status, which is category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher. Regardless of the count, it only takes one to wreak havoc. The countdown clock below can help you keep track of how many more days you have to worry about tracking any size or type of tropical storms.

You also might want to check out the ol' blog's special Storm Warnings.
These multi-page collections of posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.

Aug. 26: It's been six weeks since Tax Day. If you opted to file Form 4868 to get an extension, there's no need to wait until that Oct. 15 due date to complete your 1040. The Internal Revenue Service will gladly take your tax return before then. And if you qualify, Free File, the IRS/tax software industry partnership that offers eligible taxpayers access to online tax preparation programs and federal return e-filing at no cost, is still available.

This year 10 software companies are participating at IRS.gov's Free File webpage. It's available for taxpayers with adjusted gross income of $69,000 or less regardless of filing status. If you make too much to use the online software, look into using Free File's fillable forms.

Aug. 31: Wow, this month went by quickly! Before it wraps up, take another look at your finances. If you've got a few bucks to spare, consider giving to those who aren't in such good shape. It'll make you feel good and this year there's an expanded tax break for cash donations even if you claim the standard deduction. The write off is a new above-the-line deduction for cash donations of up to $300.

Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. You can get more tax calendar information at the IRS' online calendar page and view the full year's important business and individual tax dates in IRS Pub. 509.

State Tax Help

Don't forget your state taxes!
Forty-three states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the seven states without an income levy, you still face other state (and local) taxes.

State Tax Departments provides links to your state's Web page. The companion page, Tax Tidbits, is the compilation of blurbs about each state's tax laws. And for more state tax news, check out all our state tax bloggings.

Tax Forms

Thanks to our increased use of tax preparers and computer software, many of us don't see our tax forms until we sign and file them. But knowing what's on these documents, either in paper or digital form, and why the IRS wants it is key to understanding our tax system. And knowledge definitely is power, especially when it comes to tax savings. Find this valuable information in the ol' blog's special Tax Form Tuesday page.

Mapping Your Tax Route

Do you get lost doing your taxes? Check out the Taxpayer Advocate Service's Taxpayer Roadmap.

This publication, designed along the lines of a subway map, shows the many routes and detours of a taxpayer's journey through our elaborate Internal Revenue Code and the Internal Revenue Service's enforcement of our tax collection system.

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