BALTIMORE — Another round of stimulus checks is looking more likely, but how much and who will be eligible is still up for debate.
In the meantime, millions of people could still be missing their first stimulus payment.
A report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that 12 million Americans are at risk of not receiving their economic impact payment because they don't normally file tax returns or receive federal benefits. These people, including 147,000 Marylanders, need to submit information through the IRS Non-Filer tool to receive their payment.
"These people may not have the internet, they may not have direct deposit and there may be other things that prevent them from getting these benefits," said Karen Straughn, director of the mediation unit and assistant attorney general with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG).
The Maryland OAG sent a consumer alert reminding Marylanders to provide the necessary information to receive much-needed money.
"It’s so important because generally these are the people who need it the most and they’re not getting reached because of these factors," said Straughn.
Aside from not filling out the non-filer tool, many others have encountered issues with their payments including incorrect information or error messages on the IRS website.
"My tax lady she typed in the wrong zip code on my taxes in 2019," said Donald Waynick.
And a number of payees reportedly threw out their prepaid debit cards because they thought it was a scam.
The IRS said the cards are issued by MetaBank, N.A. and come in a plain envelope from Money Network Cardholder Services. Recently, the Treasury Department sent another letter urging people to activate the cards.
According to the IRS, individuals who have lost or destroyed their EIP Card may request a free replacement through MetaBank® Customer Service by calling 800-240-8100 (option 2 from main menu). The standard fee of $7.50 will be waived for the first reissuance of any EIP Card.
Non-filers have until October 15 to enter payment information on the IRS website. Click here for more information.
