Some married troops cannot get rebate checksBy Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Apr 13, 2008 9:03:55 EDT
If you are filing a joint tax return with a spouse who does not have a valid Social Security number, you cannot receive the economic stimulus rebate of up to $1,200 per married couple, plus $300 per qualifying child, according to IRS regulations.
The payments, which will be mailed out beginning in May, are an effort by the federal government to pump money back into the economy in the wake of the downturn sparked by the home mortgage crisis.
“Here in Japan, there are large numbers of (service) members married to non-U.S. citizens” who have Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, not Social Security numbers, Navy Master Chief Fire Controlman Robert Collins wrote in an e-mail.
Collins is a command financial specialist and a representative of the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program in Yokosuka.
According to the IRS, the law does not allow people who file a return that includes an ITIN to receive the stimulus payments.
Rest of article at:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/army_rebate_041208w/