Second stimulus check

[mommyoffive]

Do you think this is going to happen?  I haven't heard about it much lately.   I was just reading about what they think it might entail.    Sounds like their guess is it will go to people they think were more affected. 

[Lanny]

I believe that it is very possible, but that at this time, nothing is in concrete. President Trump and the Administration want to do this is my understanding. It will require cooperation from the Congress and I believe the Congress will be going on vacation soon. Bottom line is that they are working on doing another Stimulus, so it is very possible it will eventually happen, but there is nothing in concrete at this time.

[Pawz4me]

It's an election year. So . . . yeah, in all likelihood there will be another stimulus of some sort.

[hjffkj]

well Mitch McConnell said earlier this week said it very well could be a thing, whereas before he was against it.  He wants the threshold to be much lower for another round though, so there may be another one but fewer people may get it.

My guess is because it is an election year there will absolutely be another one.  Who qualifies will be up in the air.  We'll know by the end of July though.

[Lanny]

Here is an article published today (09 July 2020).  The Trump Administration definitely would like to have a 2nd Stimulus check issued. Whether or not the Congress will go along with that remains to be seen. They are hoping to have  it done by the end of July. Here's the URL:  

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mnuchin-white-house-backs-more-stimulus-payments

[mommyoffive]

Latest I have heard is that the income limits is 75000 for single and 150000 for joint filers.    They are talking about 1200 for adults and 500 for kids.

[BlsdMama]

On 7/9/2020 at 1:12 PM, hjffkj said:

well Mitch McConnell said earlier this week said it very well could be a thing, whereas before he was against it.  He wants the threshold to be much lower for another round though, so there may be another one but fewer people may get it.

My guess is because it is an election year there will absolutely be another one.  Who qualifies will be up in the air.  We'll know by the end of July though.

I don't think there is any discussion about another stimulus check going out.  The question is - who will get it?

Dems put forth a plan that would then include the college crowd who were claimed as dependents.  That was encouraging because their group was hurt. However, McConnell wants the cutoff to be $40k.  If the family claims adult kids, it is likely they make more than $40k at this point in their lives.  That will cut out the college kids again.

All seem to agree to cut off kid count at 3 children.  I think most of us who did qualify for a first stimulus won't see a second stimulus even if the checks go out to a select group.

I have to admit I'm a little confused by this.  Don't most folks who make less than $40k qualify for housing assistance, food assistance, utility assistance, etc.? Perhaps I am mistaken?

[BlsdMama]

29 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Latest I have heard is that the income limits is 75000 for single and 150000 for joint filers.    They are talking about 1200 for adults and 500 for kids.

This was the previous stimulus.  McConnell proposed significant changes to this.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

This was the previous stimulus.  McConnell proposed significant changes to this.

Nope this is the latest on the second stimulus.    I do agree a week or so ago they were talking about the income limits being 40k

They are also talking about lowering the extra 600 unemployment from federal to either 200 or 300 extra or 70 percent of your wages. 

Edited July 23, 2020 by mommyoffive

[hjffkj]

14 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

I don't think there is any discussion about another stimulus check going out.  The question is - who will get it?

Dems put forth a plan that would then include the college crowd who were claimed as dependents.  That was encouraging because their group was hurt. However, McConnell wants the cutoff to be $40k.  If the family claims adult kids, it is likely they make more than $40k at this point in their lives.  That will cut out the college kids again.

All seem to agree to cut off kid count at 3 children.  I think most of us who did qualify for a first stimulus won't see a second stimulus even if the checks go out to a select group.

I have to admit I'm a little confused by this.  Don't most folks who make less than $40k qualify for housing assistance, food assistance, utility assistance, etc.? Perhaps I am mistaken?

 

Latest news is that it will be exactly like the previous check, unclear on if they have changed it so college kids don't get left behind again

[Lanny]

12 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Latest news is that it will be exactly like the previous check, unclear on if they have changed it so college kids don't get left behind again

 

I was reading about that earlier today. What  I read about the university students in an article today is that if they put down that "someone else can claim me as a Dependent" or something like that wording, the I.R.S. takes that to mean that someone else IS going to claim them. In that case, the student would not be eligible for the Stimulus payment. Ask me how I know...  I submitted the tax returns (Federal and State) for DD at the end of March 2020, because of the Stimulus payment and also wanting to have her Federal return in the I.R.S. system, for the next FAFSA, in October 2020.  After that I read many more things and now I know that I made a horrible mistake and that is why DD hasn't received the first Stimulus payment.  The I.R.S. is working on being able to accept Amended returns for the 2019 tax year this Summer, by eFile, so I am waiting for them to get that Online and then I will submit an Amended return, changing the answer to that question, for DD on her return, via eFile.  We did not claim her as a Dependent on our return. I made a bad mistake and IMO the wording on the I.R.S. form is somewhat ambiguous.  I used TurboTax to submit her return and ours for 2019 and I will eFile the Amended 2019 return for DD when that becomes possible, via TurboTax.  There's much more information about this available now than there was in late March 2020.

I think there is a good possibility there will be a 2nd Stimulus payment.

[stephanier.1765]

It'd be nice if I ever got the first one.🤷‍♀️

[Moonhawk]

1 hour ago, BlsdMama said:

I don't think there is any discussion about another stimulus check going out.  The question is - who will get it?

Dems put forth a plan that would then include the college crowd who were claimed as dependents.  That was encouraging because their group was hurt. However, McConnell wants the cutoff to be $40k.  If the family claims adult kids, it is likely they make more than $40k at this point in their lives.  That will cut out the college kids again.

All seem to agree to cut off kid count at 3 children.  I think most of us who did qualify for a first stimulus won't see a second stimulus even if the checks go out to a select group.

I have to admit I'm a little confused by this.  Don't most folks who make less than $40k qualify for housing assistance, food assistance, utility assistance, etc.? Perhaps I am mistaken?

Hmm. I won't say you're mistaken, but this is not my experience.

Back in 2010-2015 (so, perhaps outdated info) we made less than $40K for a family of 5, no assistance qualifications. When I got laid off in 2016, we did not qualify for Medicare/Medicaid, or SNAP, not even the kids, until we had slipped much, much farther down and used most/all our savings. 

The few things that we should have qualified for -- for a family of 4+ making less than $48K our electric company was supposed to have assistance programs -- they never got back to us. No matter how many times I filled out the form or called the number, we mysteriously never heard back.

This may be area-specific, so it's completely possible in your area things are handled differently. I certainly hope there are areas that have that type assistance available, especially if it is HCOL. 

[Joker]

I don’t understand the income limits. We got a portion of the first and didn’t need it. Nothing has changed for us as dh has worked from home for years and his job isn’t in jeopardy. We donated it.  I guess we’ll split the next one between our two young adults. I just really wish they could figure out a way to give it to those who really need it.

[hjffkj]

3 minutes ago, Joker said:

I don’t understand the income limits. We got a portion of the first and didn’t need it. Nothing has changed for us as dh has worked from home for years and his job isn’t in jeopardy. We donated it.  I guess we’ll split the next one between our two young adults. I just really wish they could figure out a way to give it to those who really need it.

 

It is not just meant for people who need it.  It is also meant to help stimulate the economy.  So, people with a higher income  will hopefully put it back  into the economy. Also, it is easier and faster to attach a check to tax returns than to current situation because that would require to opt into it.  It would take longer and require more man power for an opt in need based option

[shinyhappypeople]

I hope there's no second stimulus check (our country can't afford it), but there almost certainly will be one.  If the credit card is burning a hole in Congress' pocket, I'd rather those trillions of dollars be put towards temporarily expanding and increasing income eligibility limits for safety net programs.  On the other hand, that isn't the goal of the checks, so... yup.  I feel a little like a spectator at a circus right now.  Pass the popcorn, enjoy the show.

[Bootsie]

54 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

 

It is not just meant for people who need it.  It is also meant to help stimulate the economy.  So, people with a higher income  will hopefully put it back  into the economy. Also, it is easier and faster to attach a check to tax returns than to current situation because that would require to opt into it.  It would take longer and require more man power for an opt in need based option

But this is why this type of "stimulus" is misplaced.  How do I put money back in the economy?  Go to a store and purchase things that were made by people in a factory?  Go get a massage, haircut, pedicure? Or, take my family to the theme park?  None of this is what we want to encourage families to do when we want them to stay-at-home.  

[hjffkj]

2 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

But this is why this type of "stimulus" is misplaced.  How do I put money back in the economy?  Go to a store and purchase things that were made by people in a factory?  Go get a massage, haircut, pedicure? Or, take my family to the theme park?  None of this is what we want to encourage families to do when we want them to stay-at-home.  

 

I'm not going to get into a discussion about where to put that money back into the economy because everyone's answers are going to be different and that is why not just low income household get a stimulus check.  I know that I used part of our last check on local restaurants and businesses that were struggling.  A few other things I know that people personally used their's on include a much needed roof repair, remodeling a bathroom, donating it to various causes that are suffering for donations now, buying luxury items they wouldn't normally be able to afford, investing in the stock market, using it as part of a down payment on a house, paying off credit card debt, and a vacations.  I wouldn't agree that every use was great for what we need to get this virus under control.  But giving a stimulus check is a different conversation than should XYZ be open or not.

[Bootsie]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

 

I'm not going to get into a discussion about where to put that money back into the economy because everyone's answers are going to be different and that is why not just low income household get a stimulus check.  I know that I used part of our last check on local restaurants and businesses that were struggling.  A few other things I know that people personally used their's on include a much needed roof repair, remodeling a bathroom, donating it to various causes that are suffering for donations now, buying luxury items they wouldn't normally be able to afford, investing in the stock market, using it as part of a down payment on a house, paying off credit card debt, and a vacations.  I wouldn't agree that every use was great for what we need to get this virus under control.  But giving a stimulus check is a different conversation than should XYZ be open or not.

My comment was in no way meant to be a discussion of what should or should not be open.  My point is that "stimulating" the economy at the same time that you are wanting to close down and have people stay home is at cross-purposes.  

[hjffkj]

13 minutes ago, Bootsie said:

My comment was in no way meant to be a discussion of what should or should not be open.  My point is that "stimulating" the economy at the same time that you are wanting to close down and have people stay home is at cross-purposes.  

 

Do the people running our government actually want things to close and and people to stay home though?  From my understanding is there is no agreement on what people should be doing. Some want schools to open as usual soon, others want people to be able to go out but to be masked and socially distanced, others are calling for shutting more things down again as numbers rise, and so on.  Whatever gets passed eventually will be a compromise between what all those people want. 

[kiwik]

14 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

Hmm. I won't say you're mistaken, but this is not my experience.

Back in 2010-2015 (so, perhaps outdated info) we made less than $40K for a family of 5, no assistance qualifications. When I got laid off in 2016, we did not qualify for Medicare/Medicaid, or SNAP, not even the kids, until we had slipped much, much farther down and used most/all our savings. 

The few things that we should have qualified for -- for a family of 4+ making less than $48K our electric company was supposed to have assistance programs -- they never got back to us. No matter how many times I filled out the form or called the number, we mysteriously never heard back.

This may be area-specific, so it's completely possible in your area things are handled differently. I certainly hope there are areas that have that type assistance available, especially if it is HCOL. 

And even if they did giving money to poorer people is more likely to stimulate the economy because it will be spent locally.  Richer people may save it, pay down debt etc.

[kiwik]

13 hours ago, kand said:

Totally agree. Many other countries have instead paid for businesses to keep paying their employees so the people get paid and businesses don’t have to lay people off and/or fold. I don’t expect we could figure that out fast enough, but that would be better. The small business payroll protection loans did work a bit like that. My brother with a small business who initially had to lay-off a number of employees was able to bring everyone back on board when he got one of the loans and keep things going.

my understanding at the time was that something was specifically said to indicate that these were not intended the same as stimulus checks to put money back into the economy, but I would have to find where that idea came from. 

That is what we have.  Businesses could claim for 12 weeks initially then another 8 weeks if needed.  Also interest free loans and tax extensions.  There are way to many businesses using Covid as an excuse for things though.

[BlsdMama]

16 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Nope this is the latest on the second stimulus.    I do agree a week or so ago they were talking about the income limits being 40k

They are also talking about lowering the extra 600 unemployment from federal to either 200 or 300 extra or 70 percent of your wages. 

You were totally right and I was completely wrong.  I'm pretty shocked.  

https://heavy.com/news/2020/07/covid-19-stimulus-check-second-round-details-confirmed/

[BlsdMama]

44 minutes ago, kiwik said:

And even if they did giving money to poorer people is more likely to stimulate the economy because it will be spent locally.  Richer people may save it, pay down debt etc.

Put in a new furnace........... 😉 

I was very surprised from folks posting that incomes less than $40k aren't eligible for assistance and/or that it's impossible to get housing assistance.  Wow.  I was assuming a family with kiddos with $40k were eligible for a lot more assistance than I understood.  Here the levels of income for medical insurance from the state is relatively high. I know several people who utilize it.

Edited July 24, 2020 by BlsdMama

[mommyoffive]

12 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

You were totally right and I was completely wrong.  I'm pretty shocked.  

https://heavy.com/news/2020/07/covid-19-stimulus-check-second-round-details-confirmed/

It is so hard to keep up with what is going on because there have been a lot of different ideas thrown around.   We will see what actually comes at the end. 

[katilac]

 

16 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

It'd be nice if I ever got the first one.🤷‍♀️

Ouch! I hope it comes soon. 

12 hours ago, Bootsie said:

My comment was in no way meant to be a discussion of what should or should not be open.  My point is that "stimulating" the economy at the same time that you are wanting to close down and have people stay home is at cross-purposes.  

Almost everywhere has takeout, grocery pickup, and curbside pickup for the local economy. Add in online shopping that is more national, and I don't think it is at cross-purposes with stimulating the economy. I am a great example of someone who can stay at home and spend a lot of money, even before quarantine, lol.  

And it seems like quite a few people are either donating some of and/or using it to hire people who really need money in their pockets. Our lawn mowing guy  goes into the yard, does his thing, gets his money from an outdoor location, and never even sees us. (we had lawn service  pre-covid, but it's a good example of a very low risk way to stimulate the economy). People are making a point of buying more handmade items via Etsy or Facebook.  

While I would be absolutely fine with people in my income bracket not getting the stimulus check, I do think it's causing people to spend money they otherwise would not.  

29 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

I was very surprised from folks posting that incomes less than $40k aren't eligible for assistance and/or that it's impossible to get housing assistance.  Wow.  I was assuming a family with kiddos with $40k were eligible for a lot more assistance than I understood.  Here the levels of income for medical insurance from the state is relatively high. I know several people who utilize it.

I think a lot of people are surprised at how low the income thresholds are, and then a lot of people who are trying to be responsible and have an emergency fund can't get it because, well, they have an emergency fund. 

Is your state insurance for the whole family? We have a fairly high threshold for children, but most of the working poor are SOL for themselves. 

[Bootsie]

31 minutes ago, katilac said:

Almost everywhere has takeout, grocery pickup, and curbside pickup for the local economy. Add in online shopping that is more national, and I don't think it is at cross-purposes with stimulating the economy. I am a great example of someone who can stay at home and spend a lot of money, even before quarantine, lol.  

And it seems like quite a few people are either donating some of and/or using it to hire people who really need money in their pockets. Our lawn mowing guy  goes into the yard, does his thing, gets his money from an outdoor location, and never even sees us. (we had lawn service  pre-covid, but it's a good example of a very low risk way to stimulate the economy). People are making a point of buying more handmade items via Etsy or Facebook.  

 

Retail shopping is a small portion of the economy.  Stimulating the economy is really about stimulating production.  The current economic issue was not that people stopped spending, the problem was that production can to a screeching halt.  My dentist could not produce dental services; my hairdresser could not produce cutting services; the UBER driver couldn't produce rides; the airline couldn't produce travel services; etc. Handing out money to stimulate shopping and spending when production is being reduced means more dollars chasing fewer goods and services--which leads to inflation.   

[Moonhawk]

2 hours ago, katilac said:

 

...

I think a lot of people are surprised at how low the income thresholds are, and then a lot of people who are trying to be responsible and have an emergency fund can't get it because, well, they have an emergency fund. 

---

This. 

edited out personal.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Moonhawk

[alisoncooks]

Yeah, we're a family of 4 that makes just above 40k. We qualify for specific things (WIC when they were small, health coverage but just for kids), but we are just on the threshold of ineligibility. In fact, DH was getting a raise recently ($200/month -- the first raise in 10 years!) and we had to first determine if it would knock us out of the kids' health insurance. 

[BlsdMama]

44 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Yeah, we're a family of 4 that makes just above 40k. We qualify for specific things (WIC when they were small, health coverage but just for kids), but we are just on the threshold of ineligibility. In fact, DH was getting a raise recently ($200/month -- the first raise in 10 years!) and we had to first determine if it would knock us out of the kids' health insurance. 

I'm going to show my naivete for a minute... So, I have a friend whose children qualify for state medical and I understand because they each own their own business and to go out and buy insurance can be insane.  However, my family and extended family largely work manufacturing jobs which tend to offer decent healthcare insurance.  So, your husband is employed by a company, not self employed, but is it that the healthcare would be outrageous for you to pick up and carry? So then does Marketplace offer insurance just you and your husband can get at a reasonable cost?  

[alisoncooks]

1 hour ago, BlsdMama said:

I'm going to show my naivete for a minute... So, I have a friend whose children qualify for state medical and I understand because they each own their own business and to go out and buy insurance can be insane.  However, my family and extended family largely work manufacturing jobs which tend to offer decent healthcare insurance.  So, your husband is employed by a company, not self employed, but is it that the healthcare would be outrageous for you to pick up and carry? So then does Marketplace offer insurance just you and your husband can get at a reasonable cost?  

DH is employed by a nonprofit and we operate as self-employed when it comes to health insurance and taxes. Kids qualify for Medicaid but we (parents) don't because our income exceeds. Marketplace offerings (last we checked) were more costly than our private insurance (which is still costly, lol, and basically catastrophic coverage -- $10k deductible, no vision, no dental, no maternity). 

[SereneHome]

20 hours ago, Lanny said:

 

I was reading about that earlier today. What  I read about the university students in an article today is that if they put down that "someone else can claim me as a Dependent" or something like that wording, the I.R.S. takes that to mean that someone else IS going to claim them. In that case, the student would not be eligible for the Stimulus payment. Ask me how I know...  I submitted the tax returns (Federal and State) for DD at the end of March 2020, because of the Stimulus payment and also wanting to have her Federal return in the I.R.S. system, for the next FAFSA, in October 2020.  After that I read many more things and now I know that I made a horrible mistake and that is why DD hasn't received the first Stimulus payment.  The I.R.S. is working on being able to accept Amended returns for the 2019 tax year this Summer, by eFile, so I am waiting for them to get that Online and then I will submit an Amended return, changing the answer to that question, for DD on her return, via eFile.  We did not claim her as a Dependent on our return. I made a bad mistake and IMO the wording on the I.R.S. form is somewhat ambiguous.  I used TurboTax to submit her return and ours for 2019 and I will eFile the Amended 2019 return for DD when that becomes possible, via TurboTax.  There's much more information about this available now than there was in late March 2020.

I think there is a good possibility there will be a 2nd Stimulus payment.

I wouldn't do an amended return, just wait until next year and she'll get it since this was sort of like pre-paid credit.

IRS is beyond behind. When they came back to work on June 1st, they had ~11M pieces of mail to open, people won't see their refunds for a long time.

[SereneHome]

20 hours ago, Joker said:

I don’t understand the income limits. We got a portion of the first and didn’t need it. Nothing has changed for us as dh has worked from home for years and his job isn’t in jeopardy. We donated it.  I guess we’ll split the next one between our two young adults. I just really wish they could figure out a way to give it to those who really need it.

And those who are actually alive and have not been dead since 2019

[katilac]

2 hours ago, Eliana said:

 And even once someone gets aid, it can be hard to get housing.

Crazy hard. Landlords don't have to accept HUD or Section 8. So many of them don't want to that the ones that do often get away with a lot regarding how they treat their tenants, because they don't have anywhere to go. They can't just pick another apartment at will. 

 

[Lanny]

54 minutes ago, SereneHome said:

I wouldn't do an amended return, just wait until next year and she'll get it since this was sort of like pre-paid credit.

IRS is beyond behind. When they came back to work on June 1st, they had ~11M pieces of mail to open, people won't see their refunds for a long time.

 

I prepared an Amended Return and was going to have her Print it and sign it and send it in Snail Mail, but yes I read about the fact that they had Trailers sitting in their parking lots with millions of Paper returns...  And then I found the I.R.S. press release (May 28, 2020?) that they are working on getting the ability to accept Amended Returns by eFile for 2019, so that should speed up the process by 6 to 12 months, assuming something sent to them via Snail Mail isn't lost in the Snail Mail process. And yes, you are correct, the Stimulus payments sent this year are, if I understand, an advance on Credits that will be on the tax returns for the 2020 tax year. One article I read, recently, said that they receive approximately 3 million amended returns each year.

[kiwik]

9 hours ago, SereneHome said:

And those who are actually alive and have not been dead since 2019

And maybe not people who have actually lived in New Zealand since their early teens and are unlikely to ever return? I know someone who has never paid tax in the US but has to file a take return every year who got stimulus money from the US.  His wife was a bit surprised so she told me at work.

Edited July 25, 2020 by kiwik

[nrbeckking]

30 minutes ago, kiwik said:

And maybe not people who have actually lived in New Zealand since their early teens and are unlikely to ever return? I know someone who has never paid tax in the US but has to file a take return every year who got stimulus money from the US.  His wife was a bit surprised so she told me at work.

In the eyes of the IRS all US citizens are treated the same. If citizenship has not been revoked (which is expensive itself) then any tax cuts, stimulus, etc applies to them.

11 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

I'm going to show my naivete for a minute... So, I have a friend whose children qualify for state medical and I understand because they each own their own business and to go out and buy insurance can be insane.  However, my family and extended family largely work manufacturing jobs which tend to offer decent healthcare insurance.  So, your husband is employed by a company, not self employed, but is it that the healthcare would be outrageous for you to pick up and carry? So then does Marketplace offer insurance just you and your husband can get at a reasonable cost?  

The marketplace does not discount insurance UNLESS the employee's insurance will cost more than 9% of their income. Since my wife's employer covers a portion of her insurance, and they will allow her to sign us up at full price, the kids and I did not qualify for marketplace insurance that would be cheaper than the 1300 a month we were already paying. Thankfully they switched companies this year and our insurance went down nearly $400.

11 hours ago, Eliana said:

Qualifying for housing assistance is very different from getting it.  The wait lists are really long (as in years) and the wait list is (at least here) capped, so you can't even get onto it except when spots open up.  There is some aid earmarked for specific circumstances (vets, for example, but I know homeless vets who have been waiting for years for housing.).  And none of these programs are being funded to the scale of the need, not even close.  It's really heartbreaking seeing the personal impacts of this.

And even once someone gets aid, it can be hard to get housing.

I knew a homeless man who felt he'd wont he lottery when he finally got a HUD voucher, but he had so much trouble finding anyone willing to rent to him since he'd been homeless for years.  (A friend helped find him a place, but if that personal connection hadn't happened, his voucher would have expired & he would still be on the streets.) Until recently there were a very limited number of landlords willing to accept a HUD voucher - recent legislation about non-discrimination for source of payment has helped that in theory, but in practice it can still be a barrier.

And on top of all of that, often the aid that does exist can be hard to identify and the aid systems can be very challenging to navigate.  There is such an odd patchwork of programs each with its own, often laborious, hoops to jump through.

At one point I was homeless with 3 kids and no steady income. I could not get on a waitlist for housing in any community around me. If you can/do work your rear end off and get to were you can afford even the most basic housing you will no longer qualify for any rental help in my area. There is no health insurance for adults if you make over $300 a month for a family of 5 nor will you get TANF. Food stamps are attainable IF you have a refrigerator. You can be denied if you don't have one. Children's health insurance is easier to get though. I have moved on from that position (we qualified for half priced lunch when my ex quit paying child support and our income was literally $3 below the limit) and am better for having lived through it but I wouldn't wish that life of trying to navigate social safety nets on anyone. I especially wouldn't wish it on anyone in this state.

[lewelma]

On 7/24/2020 at 9:06 AM, mommyoffive said:

Latest I have heard is that the income limits is 75000 for single and 150000 for joint filers.    They are talking about 1200 for adults and 500 for kids.

They screwed up the last check for Expat Americans.  They used Adjusted Gross Income, which subtracts out all income that you paid tax on in the country in which you reside.  Our AGI was 15K, so we got the last check. We make way more than 15K per year. We checked and don't have to repay the stimulus check, they just screwed up how it was distributed.  So we are trying to spend it to help the economy, just here in NZ. Not where it is supposed to go, but we don't know what else to do. 

[Carrie12345]

One of the things about tax return income limits is that a lot of families are not CURRENTLY making $75/150k just because they were on their 2018 or 2019 return. Some may be making more, but there are plenty who are not.  There isn’t going to be an effective way to do an up to date means testing.  

[kiwik]

1 hour ago, lewelma said:

They screwed up the last check for Expat Americans.  They used Adjusted Gross Income, which subtracts out all income that you paid tax on in the country in which you reside.  Our AGI was 15K, so we got the last check. We make way more than 15K per year. We checked and don't have to repay the stimulus check, they just screwed up how it was distributed.  So we are trying to spend it to help the economy, just here in NZ. Not where it is supposed to go, but we don't know what else to do. 

I think that is what my friend and her husband are doing but it is a pretty odd system.  I guess when you come down to it though the cost of paying ex-pats is not much in the great scheme of things 

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

One of the things about tax return income limits is that a lot of families are not CURRENTLY making $75/150k just because they were on their 2018 or 2019 return. Some may be making more, but there are plenty who are not.  There isn’t going to be an effective way to do an up to date means testing.  

So true .  2020 has been rough for so many.  Someone else might know if this is true, but I thought they said during the first check , that you would get it when you file your 2020 taxes if you didn't qualify based on your 2018 or 2019.  

I know that doesn't help people if they need help now. 

[maize]

3 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

So true .  2020 has been rough for so many.  Someone else might know if this is true, but I thought they said during the first check , that you would get it when you file your 2020 taxes if you didn't qualify based on your 2018 or 2019.  

I know that doesn't help people if they need help now. 

Yes, if you qualify based on this year's income you will get the stimulus amount when you file 2020 taxes, it is a refundable credit for the 2020 tax year, it's just that people whose last filed taxes qualify them get it early.

[Frances]

9 hours ago, lewelma said:

They screwed up the last check for Expat Americans.  They used Adjusted Gross Income, which subtracts out all income that you paid tax on in the country in which you reside.  Our AGI was 15K, so we got the last check. We make way more than 15K per year. We checked and don't have to repay the stimulus check, they just screwed up how it was distributed.  So we are trying to spend it to help the economy, just here in NZ. Not where it is supposed to go, but we don't know what else to do. 

I do find it interesting they use AGI for so many things, including lots of statistical reporting. Had they used gross income, we would have received nothing. But because we always max out our retirement accounts, my work takes another retirement chunk pre-tax, and we also use some pre-tax dollars for health insurance premiums and flexible spending accounts, we just barely qualified to receive the maximum payment. I do find it a bit odd that they just ignore almost $60k in income, but since it only shows up on our w2 and not our tax return, I get that it’s easier to grab the same line from the return for everyone.

Edited July 25, 2020 by Frances

[SKL]

I will just say it is hard right now to keep blue collar workers, because they can get paid for not working.  This has a considerable domino effect.  So a solution should somehow consider whether or not the individual has the opportunity to work in a job that they would have taken had there not been incentives not to work.

[Frances]

26 minutes ago, SKL said:

I will just say it is hard right now to keep blue collar workers, because they can get paid for not working.  This has a considerable domino effect.  So a solution should somehow consider whether or not the individual has the opportunity to work in a job that they would have taken had there not been incentives not to work.

Are you talking about the stimulus checks being discussed in this thread or the extra federal unemployment payments?

[katilac]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

I will just say it is hard right now to keep blue collar workers, because they can get paid for not working.  This has a considerable domino effect.  So a solution should somehow consider whether or not the individual has the opportunity to work in a job that they would have taken had there not been incentives not to work.

It sounds like you are talking about unemployment, with the extra Covid money, yes? Now, as any other time, you cannot get unemployment for choosing not to work. You have to lose your job, you can't quit. And, while the exact process may vary, I'm sure every state has some variation on what mine does: You have to file a claim, and the state verifies that you are telling the truth about how you lost your job. Then, you refile every week, each time confirming that you are both available for work and have not turned down work. This is obviously harder to verify, but anyone (including potential employers) can report you, and there are some pretty stiff penalties if you get caught lying. So, whether the person has the opportunity to work is indeed already being considered, and always has been. 

Some people are making more money with Covid unemployment than they did while working full time. I consider this more of a commentary on the pathetic wages many are paid instead of an overly generous temporary system. 

[Lanny]

They plan to introduce this bill tomorrow (Monday, 27 July 2020) in the U.S. Senate.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mnuchin-coronavirus-second-stimulus-bill

Personally, I am for helping people in need, but opposed to the  fact that many people are making more on Unemployment benefits than they made when they were working and who refuse to go back to work. I read that in MA people can get up to $75000 a year on Unemployment benefits. I am for helping people in need, but I do not believe that one should make more on Unemployment than they did working a full-time job. That removes their incentive to return to their work. 

When someone buys Disability Income insurance, they limit what the policy pays each month to a percentage of the income the person had before they were disabled. Unemployment benefits should also be a percentage of the income the person had before they were unemployed.

This is all very complicated and there are no simple solutions to complex problems.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Lanny
add the link to the news article

[hippiemamato3]

1 hour ago, Lanny said:

They plan to introduce this bill tomorrow (Monday, 27 July 2020) in the U.S. Senate.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mnuchin-coronavirus-second-stimulus-bill

Personally, I am for helping people in need, but opposed to the  fact that many people are making more on Unemployment benefits than they made when they were working and who refuse to go back to work. I read that in MA people can get up to $75000 a year on Unemployment benefits. I am for helping people in need, but I do not believe that one should make more on Unemployment than they did working a full-time job. That removes their incentive to return to their work. 

When someone buys Disability Income insurance, they limit what the policy pays each month to a percentage of the income the person had before they were disabled. Unemployment benefits should also be a percentage of the income the person had before they were unemployed.

This is all very complicated and there are no simple solutions to complex problems.

I agree that the unemployment situation is an issue, but that's mostly because many Americans are not paid a living wage. 

[Carrie12345]

17 hours ago, katilac said:

It sounds like you are talking about unemployment, with the extra Covid money, yes? Now, as any other time, you cannot get unemployment for choosing not to work. You have to lose your job, you can't quit. And, while the exact process may vary, I'm sure every state has some variation on what mine does: You have to file a claim, and the state verifies that you are telling the truth about how you lost your job. Then, you refile every week, each time confirming that you are both available for work and have not turned down work. This is obviously harder to verify, but anyone (including potential employers) can report you, and there are some pretty stiff penalties if you get caught lying. So, whether the person has the opportunity to work is indeed already being considered, and always has been. 

Some people are making more money with Covid unemployment than they did while working full time. I consider this more of a commentary on the pathetic wages many are paid instead of an overly generous temporary system. 

I’ve been wondering about how this is actually handled by employers.
Our garbage company put out a notice about their deteriorating service (which has always had problems pre-COVID), placing part of the blame on employees not returning to work because of extra unemployment. I was under the impression that, if their job was available, they couldn’t collect.

[katilac]

7 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

 I was under the impression that, if their job was available, they couldn’t collect.

Correct.