IRS has issued about $64B in stimulus checks

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, in a statement prepared for a House hearing Thursday, said one of its remaining tasks this summer will be tracking down some 5 million Social Security recipients and veterans who qualify for checks but haven't filed to receive them.

Shulman, testifying before the House Ways and Means subcommittee on oversight and Social Security, said the agency planned a new "It's not too late to file" program to reach retirees and veterans who normally don't file tax returns because their benefits are not taxable. People must file to receive a stimulus check.

Eligible individuals can receive up to $600, and married couples $1,200, plus $300 for eligible children younger than 17. For people such as retirees who have no tax liability or filing requirement, there is a minimum payment of $300, or $600 for married couples.

The IRS expects to issue 124 million stimulus payments by the end of the year.

The tax agency generally got high marks from lawmakers and National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson on its performance in getting payments into taxpayer hands.

Rep. Michael McNulty, D-N.Y., noted that it took only 55 working days between the signing of the stimulus package into law and the delivery of the first payments in late April. "I've been impressed by the rapid response" of the IRS and other involved agencies, he said.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, questioned why he received a letter intended for his mother, who died last September, informing her that she would soon get her payment.

Olson, an independent watchdog appointed by the Treasury secretary, said there were some problems associated with the payments, including difficulties in staffing telephone lines dedicated to answering questions about taxes and the rebate. She said there was one glitch where the Social Security numbers of about 1,500 taxpayers were mistakenly disclosed when the IRS routed payments to the wrong back accounts.

However, she said, "I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary job the IRS has done in delivering the stimulus payments."

The agency estimates there are about 20 million retirees and veterans who don't normally file returns but must do so by Oct. 15 this year to get their rebate checks. Of those, about 5.2 million have yet to file.

The IRS has sent letters to potential recipients and worked with state and local officials and groups such as AARP to let retirees and veterans know that they must file returns to get a check and that those checks will have no impact on other federal benefits they currently receive.

Shulman said they would mail another packet of information and launch a public relations campaign aimed at areas of the country where non-filing has been greatest.