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As the COVID pandemic raged, the government gave out relief payments to Americans struggling financially. From April 2020 to December 2021, millions of people were sent their share of $931 billion that the federal government doled out. However, not everyone got everything they should have and, according to Uncle Sam, there could be 10 million individuals who are still eligible for payments. The good news is, they aren't too late to receive them... yet.
In a press release, the IRS explained that they are sending out letters to those who are still qualified to get some money, which includes people who had no income last year. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig explained, "We don't want people to overlook these tax credits, and the letters will remind people of their potential eligibility and steps they can take." He added, "We encourage people who haven't filed a tax return yet for 2021 to review these options. Even if they aren't required to file a tax return, they may still qualify for several important credits."
Taxpayers who missed the April 15 deadline have until October 17 to get their paperwork in, while those who have little or no income and aren't required to pay taxes have until November 15 to complete a simplified tax return to get their payments. And the payments could be significant - well into the five figures for those who haven't yet gotten the stimulus payments of $1,400 per person, the child tax credits worth up to $3,600 per kid, and the child and dependent care credit for families paying for childcare worth up to $8,000.
If you think you missed anything and haven't yet submitted paperwork, head to IRS.gov/Coronavirus/EIP and ChildTaxCredit.gov to learn more. Meanwhile, if you have gotten your federal payments, you might still be eligible for more checks from your state.