According to the IRS, they are contacting millions of Americans who still need to be paid stimulus payments. This has opened the doors for scams.
The IRS is reaching out to people who still haven’t been paid their stimulus payments, earned income tax credits, and child tax credits.
There are more that 9 million people who are missing payments, according to My Twin Tiers.
How to know the difference between IRS stimulus and other payments or scams
There are ways you can be vigilant and tell the difference between a scam and the actual IRS reaching out.
According to tax attorney Adam Brewer, who spoke with Nexstar, the IRS is never going to text you and will hardly ever call you.
When someone texts you claiming to be the IRS, it is most certainly a scam.
The Internal Revenue Service sent out warnings in September when there was an influx in texting scams. These scams were trying to get personal and financial information from Americans.
If someone calls you on the phone claiming to be the IRS, it’s likely a scam.
The only way the IRS really contacts people is by sending them letters. If you think you’re still waiting for a stimulus payment or some other benefit, look for a letter and reach out to the IRS or a tax professional.
A lot of people who were owed payments from the IRS did not get them
Many people who are owed a payment did not see one because their information was not on file. This was usually because there wasn’t a recent enough tax return.
Those with little or no income aren’t legally required to file a tax return.
The IRS had a hard time getting payments to people with low income, poor access to the internet, or who were homeless.
Now letters are being sent to let these people know they can file a free 2021 tax return in order to get the payments.
The best way to file for your stimulus payment is to do it electronically because there is a backlog of paper returns right now. Choosing electronic filing over paper will get you your money faster.
Those who are exempt from filing and are not owed a payment should still consider filing. This has some benefits, like stopping someone else from claiming your identity and getting a big refund.
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