4th Stimulus: 9 million Americans still owed up to $3,600 from $931 billion pot

More than 9 million Americans are eligible for direct payments that they have yet to claim.

The payments come from a $931 billion pot and the deadline to submit a claim is tomorrow – October 17.

While three separate stimulus checks helped Americans financially survive during Covid-19, there are still more than 9 million people who haven’t claimed their payments.

There were 165 U.S. residents eligible for their portion of the $931 billion in funds, the Government Accountability Office said.

Eligibility was deduced based on tax returns, and either bank information or home addresses were used to dole out the checks.

Still, there are millions who are not likely to file taxes.

Very low-income families, $12,500 for a single filer and $25,000 for those filing jointly, are not required to file a tax return.

Senior citizens who only receive Social Security are not required to file either.

Because of these financial requirements, these populations are quite likely to have missed out on their money.

In a report, the Government Accountability Office said: “Throughout the pandemic, IRS and Treasury struggled to get COVID-relief payments into the hands of some people—especially those with lower-incomes, limited internet access, or experiencing homelessness.”

Thursday, the Internal Revenue Service announced it will be sending letters to 9 million households who look to qualify for the Child Tax Credit or the stimulus check.

Free File, a program that enables those who make less than $73,000 yearly to file their taxes free of cost, will still be open through November 17.

The GAO announced the following deadline: Individuals with little or no income, and therefore not required to pay taxes, have until November 15 to complete a simplified tax return to get their payments.”

An expanded Child Tax Credit will still be given to the eligible, giving them up to $3,600 per child under 17, but the deadline for this is November 15, according to CBS.

To seek out late stimulus checks, the Economic Impact Payments section of the IRS website will have applicants follow the prompts to fill out their return and receive their money.

Any parent missing their Child Tax Credit funds can get them at GetCTC.org.

Those who must file taxes due to adequate income only have until October 17 to file their 2021 back taxes and be issued payment.