The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service announced that Social Security beneficiaries who are not typically required to file tax returns will not need to file an abbreviated tax return to receive an Economic Impact Payment. Instead, payments will be automatically deposited into their bank accounts. 

Even if you have not filed a tax return you may still be eligible for a relief payment if you receive a Form SSA-1099 or Form RRB-1099. If you are delinquent in your filing then you can file now and be eligible to receive the relief payment.

Since the IRS would not have information regarding any dependents for these people, each person would receive $1,200 per person, without the additional amount for any dependents at this time.

The criteria for payments remains the same:

• Tax filers with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 for individuals and up to $150,000 for married couples filing joint returns will receive the full payment.
• For filers with income above those amounts, the payment amount is reduced by $5 for each $100 above the $75,000/$150,000 thresholds.
• Single filers with income exceeding $99,000 and $198,000 for joint filers with no children are not eligible.  

“Social Security recipients who are not typically required to file a tax return do not need to take any action, and will receive their payment directly to their bank account,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. 

The IRS will use the information on the Form SSA-1099 and Form RRB-1099 to generate $1,200 Economic Impact Payments to Social Security recipients who did not file tax returns in 2018 or 2019. Recipients will receive these payments as a direct deposit or by paper check, just as they would normally receive their benefits.