IRS to mail letters to urge 9M non-filers to claim stimulus payments

Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The Internal Revenue Services said Tuesday it will start mailing letters to an estimated 9 million non-filers, urging them to register by Oct. 15 to receive stimulus payments by year-end.

Individuals can receive up to $1,200, married couples up to $2,400 and people with qualifying children under age 17 at the end of 2019 can get up to an additional $500 per child, the IRS said in a statement.

IRS analysts said that the letters are being sent to people who haven't filed a return for 2018 or 2019 typically because they have very low incomes, which do not meet the tax return filing requirement, since many in this group are still eligible for the stimulus.

"The IRS has made an unprecedented outreach effort to make sure people are aware of their potential eligibility for an Economic Impact Payment this year," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in the statement. "Millions who don't normally file a tax return have already registered and received a payment. We are taking this extra step to help Americans who may not know they could be eligible for this payment or don't know how to register for one. People who aren't required to file a tax return can quickly register on IRS.gov and still get their money this year."

The letter, officially called IRS Notice 1444-A, is written in English and Spanish and has information on eligibility criteria and how eligible recipients can claim the Economic Impact Payment on IRS.gov.

The IRS will start mailing the letters around Sept. 24 from an IRS address.

To address fraud concerns, a copy of the letter is available on IRS.gov.

If non-filers miss the Oct. 15 deadline, they can claim the stimulus payment next year as a credit on their 2020 tax return.