Democrats eye additional relief checks for coronavirus

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: The Hill

Democrats are keen on including additional direct payments to Americans in the next coronavirus response bill, arguing more needs to be done to provide financial stability as the pandemic ravages the economy.

A number of Democratic lawmakers have offered proposals for more generous payments than the ones included in the $2 trillion measure President Trump signed into law Friday. That legislation included one-time cash payments for most Americans of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.

It was the third coronavirus bill he’s signed, but lawmakers are already starting to discuss their priorities for a “phase four” measure.

Some congressional observers say the prospects of additional checks will likely depend in part on how long it takes for the U.S. to contain the virus outbreak.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/finance/489952-democrats-eye-additional-relief-checks-for-coronavirus

[nocoincidences]

1. People who don't file income tax

because they don't make enough money, have been left in the cold, wondering if they will get anything, and they are the poorest among us!

My best friend is in this boat, and we are waiting for some clarification from the government on how she will be recognized as someone in need.

She doesn't have the paperwork from this year that would make it easy for her to file, because she just moved here from another state.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. I'm no tax expert, but

I think you can file a tax return even if it doesn't meet the minimum. If self-employed there is SE tax.

[progree]

5. There's the earned income tax credit too, and the child tax credit too

both are at least in part "refundable" which means that even someone with zero tax liability gets the credit and a check/deposit. I have a friend with one minor child who filed every year, paid nothing in at all (was self-employed with no withholding and no estimated tax payments, no Social Security tax payments, nada, nada, zilch) and got like a $3,000 check, and that was after deducting the Social Security (FICA) taxes that she hadn't paid. Similarly but some lesser amount from the state.

[Sapient Donkey]

17. I convinced my friend to file even though she has no income

The only hitch I heard was she couldn't do an efile since there was zero income or refund. So, she has to mail her forms instead according to IRS rules.

[Wrz]

10. Tip for the tax thing

I am on SSI and its my sole source of income, so I have zero tax liability and thus no reason to file a return.

What I did in order for the IRS e-File system to accept my return (and for the free eFile services to let me submit it) was I put that I earned $1 in savings account interest. Note: You do not report your SSI amount as income on a tax return, also do not report it in the 'Social Security' box either as that is not about SSI.

It didn't let me fill in the direct deposit section, but since they will mail out physical checks if there's no deposit info the thing to remember is to put your MAILING address and not your actual address you live at - if it differs. So for example if your city does not deliver USPS mail to the home and instead delivers it to PO boxes at a post office, make sure to put down the PO box as your address to ensure the check won't get lost.

Anyway, that's what I did and it said the IRS system accepted my return.

Skip the state tax prompts for the eFile services - it will ask you for money because only the federal tax returns are free to eFile and state tax filing is irrelevant here so just skip that part and it will be totally free.

[MarianJack]

11. How about SSDI?

If SSDI isn't reported as income than our preparer f**ked up and we may have some $$$ to come back to us.

#notmypresident

RESIST

[Sapient Donkey]

18. Oh, that is useful information about the efile

Someone I know wasn't able to efile because of that. I am going to pass that along. I feel dumb for not thinking of that myself.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Evictions and bankruptcies may motivate Congress to extend cash payments

Because there are landlords who will think they can find new paying tenants while everyone is unemployed, and a wave of bankruptcies can be expected unless payment deadlines are universally flexible. And this just focuses on the economic aspects of the pandemic. The human suffering, and the health care system, will never be the same. Until the numbers start to shrink, I'm assuming this will be a very big number before it's done, and will take several to many months, likely into 2021.

Sobering. Yell at me.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. We are seeing the Eviction

thing pop up once again. Started earlier last week by a Rental Group in our South Eastern Valley.

One of the worst Rental Companies are Mnuchin owned. Most of his Properties are rented by Hotel and Casino employees.

[cstanleytech]

7. Well one solution to reduce some of those problems might be to

pass a law that cuts both the amount owed and the interest rate by half for every homeowner that owns only one house and it's their primary residence with a mortgage of 400k or lower.
Of course for the ones holding the mortgages like the banks they should make it so they can write it off on their taxes as a credit.

[turbinetree]

4. How about relief for those individuals that have student debt that is over 10 years ago

like lets say back to 2001..............and health care for those that don't have any, like the millions that have been unemployed prior to this pandemic and individuals with mortgage payments ...................just a thought....................

[EllieBC]

8. They are going to be needed.

Bills are being pushed off, not forgiven. So those bills will come due eventually and if things are closed down for months on end those jobs might not still be there.

[JCMach1]

12. No interest forbearance on mortgages and rent/utility pause

For 60 days

[EllieBC]

13. Don't forget

Car loans, insurance (car, dental, home), credit card payments.

[JCMach1]

14. We need to cover the Biggie's... Rest should come in

A monthly UBI

The Imperial College Report directly references this could grind as long as 18 months...

They aren't talking about that part

[EllieBC]

15. There's going to have to be a UBI

I agree.

I just don’t know that you’ll see it there or we will see it up here. People don’t care at all.

[JCMach1]

16. I am going to keep coming back to it: 18 months

not all completely like right now, but it will be probably on a regional basis depending on conditions.

[The Magistrate]

9. It Will Have To Be Kept Up, Sir

The economic dislocation will continue for weeks, and people must be kept fed and housed and connected to utilities throughout whatever stretch of 'social distancing' quarantine is required for public health.