IRS says thousands didn't get child tax rebate owed

As many as 350,000 households are not getting the $300-per-child refund owed as part of economic stimulus rebate payments because of human error and computer glitches, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday.

An IRS spokesman told The Associated Press in this story that taxpayer error and problems with commercial tax-preparation software were responsible for the problem affecting a tiny percentage of the 130 million taxpayers expected to benefit from the government refunds.

IRS spokesman Terry Lemons said the agency was confident it had identified all the people affected by the mistake. He said the IRS will send letters to those who missed out on the refund and that checks for the child credit will be mailed in July. People need not contact the IRS or file additional paperwork, he said.

Qualified taxpayers are entitled to a maximum economic stimulus payment of $600 per individual and $1,200 for married couples. Some are entitled to $300 for eligible children younger than 17.

The AP says the IRS traced the problems to taxpayers' failing to check a box on their paper tax returns and to two commercial tax-preparation software programs, less than 1 percent of those in use, that were not capturing the information needed to trigger the payment.


http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/consumersmarts/archives/138997.asp
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Some of us are still waiting on the stim. check period. Only a week over-due, but DW was banking on it so to speak.

We didn't really need it, but it would help pay down some student loans.

A week late for our handouts too.

If you had your fees taken out of your return instead of paying your fees up front or if you got an RAL loan, then you will be getting a paper check. THat is what happened to us. I thought our return was late, but it is on time according to that rule since we paid our fees out of our return.

In our local community, at least five people in one local industrial plant are of the 350,000 they say didn't get their full return due to a 'glitch'. At least one couple was shorted $600. They were told over the phone that they would get it next year when they filed, but this article says they will get a paper check later this summer. I'll have to let them know about this article.

Has anyone received a letter from the IRS

stating their claim is being "reviewed"?

I bet you are really surprised by this aren't you surprise? I'll be surprised if I get a check of any amount at all.

Paper Check

I owed and had funds withdrawn from bank account..so I figured direct withdrawal would be like direct deposit..they have all the info they needed. WRONG.. So I will recieve a paper check 6-27 or so.

We owed and had to apply for an installment arrangement, so we didn't even file until late in the day on April 15th. We couldn't elect direct deposit, since we weren't getting a refund, but they did get our bank account information on the installment application. This morning I checked our online banking and the stimulus check is in there already! We weren't supposed to get it until July 11th, and then by paper check. Feeling very thankful today.