Update: Here is official guidance on qualifying for the tax rebate straight from the IRS.
While Congress still hasn’t passed the proposed $150 billion economic stimulus package that promises tax rebate checks for the majority of Americans, you might be wondering how much you’ll qualify for under the proposed terms of the plan.
Well, wonder no more…
Just plug the appropriate numbers into the calculator below and you’ll know where you stand.
Once you know how much you’re getting, be sure to swing by and participate in my poll about whether you’ll save or spend your economic stimulus check.
People dont ask us what or if you will get a rebate please go to the site and input the information to see yourself.
If I am a full time student my income is less than $75,000 a year and I am single, should I receive a $600 stimulus check? I live on my own but I only got $300??
C Rickert: I am only 21, and I am a College Student as well. I got my stimulus check a little over a week ago. You should get it. Go to IRS.gov and do the stimulus payment calculator.
I would like to know how much I am getting back on the stimulus check, I Made 4,000 and have one eight year old child who I claim and got earned income credit for and one child who was a full time student in 2007, who I was able to claim as well on earned income credit in 2007, he was 20 years old at the time.
I’m kind of upset that I’m one of those college students that fell through the cracks. I am of course a full-time, broke-ass college kid who works part time jobs to stay alive. I do not get any financial aid from my parents, and they do not claim me on their taxes. However, as I have come to understand, since I am a college student and not yet 24 I can’t get the stimulus payment because I “qualify” as a dependent, regardless of the fact that I have not been claimed as such.
Is this a misconception? I have been searching for answers all day and come up with different information, and the bill is vague and its wording is arbitrary and I am very disgusted with it right now.
I hope that I’m just paranoid; I could really use the money to…you know…eat.
Okay. /End angry college kid rant.
Did you get w-2 forms for the part-time job you had if so did you file your taxes or you didn’t file your taxes and your mother just claimed you on her taxes.
If you filed your taxes you should get a stimulus check.
So I am a graduate student and my mother claimed me as a dependent. I worked part time and brought home enough to qualify for the stimulus check. My question is am I not getting the stimulus check because I am a student, or because my mother claimed me? It bothers me that I am not getting one and I can’t seem to find out why.
I think they should have said for those who filed through rapid refund you will get a paper check even if you requested for direct deposit.
I was expecting to get mine this week so that explain when I checked the status it said we are sorry specific information about you stimulus payment is not available because it won’t be available until next month.
Yea Jeanine, you’re right and it is ridiculous. I just read a comment on another site and someone said the treasury is having problems and may delay the paper checks 2 more weeks. I guess we’ll just stop looking for it.
Rick, here is the link http://www.irs.gov and then click on “Where’s My Refund” and scroll down the page and click on “Where’s My Stimulus Payment”. And it will say it right there on that page.
I myself think it’s ridiculus because alot of people do their taxes by rapid refund.
Jeanie can you give a link or some kind of conformation about getting a paper check if you used rapid refund, etc.?
That sounds ridiculous as I’m sure millions file using those types of services. I sure would like to know when we’re actually getting the check. Thanks.
when this tax rebate all started i checked to see how much i would get and it said 600. Now when i do it, it dropped to 300. I am single with no depedants but i put that in the first time and it still said 600
Thank you Jeanine,
I only owe $242.00, maybe they will take what I owe and give me the rest. I know I was really needing that check myself, my identity has recently been stolen and I was robbed blind. I really need the help and almost actually cried when I saw the ” I am sorry” statement, and all of my friends are getting theirs by May 16th…
Lisa, I believe if you owe the IRS I think they will take your stimulus check but I could be wrong so if I was you I’ll look into that. And I also found out that if you had your taxes done by rapid refund or a fee was taken out of your refund such as if you had your taxes done by H&R Block or any other tax preparation and they charged you a fee to do your taxes and you requested for direct deposit you will be getting a regular check in the mail instead of direct deposit. I did my taxes online through H&R Block so I guess I’m getting my stimulus check June 27 instead of the week of May 9 which I thought I was looking forward to getting it this week I had plans for that. So that’s why when I checked to see when I would be getting my check and it said We are sorry, specific information about your stimulus payment is not available that’s because it won’t be ready until June 27.
question- If I owe IRS $200.00 after my income tax was turned in and have not yet paid it, I have payment arramgements…will I get a stimulas check? I have went online to see when my check would be coming and it also says “we are sorry, Specific information about your stimulus payment is not available. Does that mean I am not getting a check at all because I owe IRS some money at this time? Oh I really need this check.
I’m in the range of 21-75 for the direct deposit and it says you should expect it by May 9th and I haven’t seen nothing yet. You can also check to see when your rebate will be expected and I checked mine and it says “We are sorry. Specific information about your stimilus payment is not available”. I’m wandering will it be deposited on May 9th.
What is the eligible age for kids?
What I find frustrating is that those of us with chidren (who could really use the money towards the higher prices of food, gas, etc.) use the tax credits, such as EIC, child tax credit, and daycare expenses…that is actually used against us.
I did the “expected” calculator over a month ago and it stated that I should receive $900 ($600 for myself and $300 for my son.) When I looked at http://www.irs.gov today under “Where’s my refund?” section I am only getting $600.
Although I technically paid over $1200 in taxes this year my tax credits zeroed out that $1200 and I am being penalized for that.
Quite a disappointment!! Why didn’t the government say that the majority of people would get $300 and that some might get $600? Instead, they made it out to seem that the majority would get the higher amount.
According to what we have read if you had a higher tax liability you may get the 1200 for being married filing joint. So if your actual taxes on you return weren’t much or nothing you only quailfy for 600. Which sucks but it is still money we weren’t expecting, so what can you do.
Hey, why do we onley get 600.00 as joint filer.
What does it take to get 1200.00?
Can anyone please let me know if the creditors can take your stimulus check? Thank you.
I just went to the IRS page where you can figure your stimulus amount and according to them it will be 900.why then do they say joint filers with 1 child will get 1200.Im not greedy but what gives?will any one get the 1200 or did they gives us a line on this
what sucks is I’m engaged to get married next year, and my state return was so low I only received the $300 π thats very disappointing!
BTW – an additional comment –
for people who are unsure of their amounts…the IRS website has a calculator that lets you feed in your specific data-AGI, no. of dependents..etc & then tells you whether you are eligible for the stimulus check & if yes then how much.
So this pretty much answers most of our questions.
The site is : http://www.irs.gov/app/espc/qualification.do
Good luck again! π
Hey! I got my DD this morning! But sadly it was only 600$ π we had filed jointly – my husband & I..but somehow we still got only 600$ I dont mena to sound greedy but I had a lot of things planned – payments to be made on the 600$ that I did not get! π
How do these people calculate – as to who gets how much?!
Good luck to those who are yet to receive theirs! π
If I am self employed and earned more than 12k this year but due to a business loss it generated negative income, would I still qualify?
Yes, I received mine DD this A.M.
I JUST WANT TO KN0W HAS ANYONE GOTTEN DIRECT DEPOSIT YET ? DO WE EVEN KNOW IF IT REALLY IS COMING?
What I was wondering on my tax check I will be getting I have one dependent under the age of 17 and I also have another dependent I claimed on my 2007 W-2, my mother since she doesn’t file or anything and I support her will I also get $300.00 for her which will make $1200.00 all together, or do I just get it for me and the child under seventeen??
If I have unpaid student loans and hospital bill will my check go to them are me?
rachel- the H&R Block Debit Card is not considered a direct doposit. You should expect your stimulus payment in the mail.
Me and my husband did our taxes at H&R Block and we got our refund on the H&R Block debit credit card, is that considered direct deposit?
I would like to know if a credit card is awarded judgement can they take your stimulus check. Thanks
Hi You know I have been to a few different websites reading up on when you will get your check and each one lists a different day.One says all those who have direct deposit will recieve theres by May 2 and the next one says if you have direct deposit you will get it by the last 2 digitts of your SSN.And the list goes on.Does anyone really know when direct depositors will get it.Or is this just something the goeverment is using to ease the minds of the american people
Ok – so I’m a law school student who makes about 25,000 a year working part-time. I get a lifelong learning credit, making my tax refund about 2000. Do I get 300 or 600? It seems that I should get 600, but I think I might only get 300 because I recieved a refund. I paid taxes all year! I did not get all of them back!!
I’m sort of confused. I thought that each individual would get $600 then an additional $300 per qualifying child so a total of $900. I’m single head of household with one child…am I getting $600 or $900?? I’ve read a lot of examples online but see different scenarios.
I have 2 granddaughters age 5 and 6 who draws social security checks from their father who is deceased. Their mother does not file taxes because she is disable and draws SSI and SSD. Can the grandchildren file for the stimulus rebate. I know that the mother does not have enough SSD in order to file for the stimulus.
thanks!!! i should be receiving $900.00 and it will definately come in handy….what a great site!!!
I am 19, in college, and have already filed my taxes. I received a rebate reminder card in the mail awhile ago. Come to find out, I won’t be getting one. Why? Here’s how it works:
My parents claimed my sister and I as dependents of them. We are both over 17 which means my parents will NOT receive the $300 per child rebate. Also, neither my sister nor I will be receiving the $600 because my parents claimed us as dependents!!! These rebates are crap. As a college student any little extra helps to pay loans. Ridiculous.
So if your kids are over 17 you will not get the $300 as parents. If you claimed them on your taxes, your (over 17) dependents will not get anything either. Hope that helps! (The man who prepares our taxes informed me of this!!)
I am confused. I have a daughter that just turned 18 on may 7 of 2007 will she still be a dependant child for rebate check? alco i have a 23 year old son who is in college and also works can i claim him also even though he has to file himself
I have a job, but my parents still claim me because I am a full time student in college. I filed my own taxes. Will I be getting a rebate check?
Janet, if you need detailed tax guidance, then your best bet is going straight to the source. IRS.gov has a wealth of information, including a calculator that takes into account more of your tax details:
http://www.irs.gov/app/espc/
so where do i find the response to the question that was asked???????????????????.i have only recieved other questions the same as the one that i ask in the begining.so WHATS UP WITH THAT,IF YOU CAN’T OR DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER THEN JUST SAY SO.CAUSE I HAVEN’T GOT AN ANSWER YET.SO I YOU CAN’T HELP THEN REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAIL LIST.THANK YOU AND HAVE A BLESS DAY,SINCERELY JANET
My Washington County MD. property went up 40% this year, despite property values diving. You can go figure where my rebate will go.
I was a stay at home mom of 3 my boyfriend just left me high and dry, can I claim my kids even if I did not work
“Everybody is going to just take that money and blow it at Best Buy or Vegas”
That’s exactly what they’re hoping. They’re trying to inject money into the economy. Their worst nightmare is that people will save the money and not spend it.
The Gov really thinks handing its citizens a $600 check is going to help the economy? Everybody is going to just take that money and blow it at Best Buy or Vegas. With as much money as the gov DOESN’T have this doesn’t seem like a wise idea. But whatever, when I retire and their’s no Social Security left I’m sure I’ll think back and be glad I got that $600 check 30 years ago…
One question I do have when it says did you owe taxes my answer for that is yes and no. I work and live in 2 different states. I work in Kansas but live in Missouri. I got a federal and state return but I owed money in Missouri because my work place didn’t take taxes for Missouri so on that question did you owe taxes for 2007 is that a yes or no?
i just like to no if i get the rebate i am on disability on do not havt to fill taxs out do i need to do something to get it
how are they going to determine who gets their checks first?
i wanted to know if a person is on disability or getting ssa/ssi can they also get the rebate and if so how
Hi Cody,
The reason you can not claim yourself is probably because someone else is probably claiming you and therefore the person claiming you will receive the Stimulus package. Did you file 2007 for yourself?
Wanda
This sucks. I just found out that by “child”, they mean any dependant. This includes college students not able to recieve a refund from the Economic Stimulus Plan.
I live in my own apartment, pay my own rent and utlities… Yet I don’t qualify as an independant because I am under the age of 25 and am in college.
Not only that, I will have to suffer the hike in taxes next year to pay for this crap.
Must be nice adults. I guess I am back to my $8 an hour job to take-from-the-poor and give-to-the-rich.
A person living on a low income such as social security or disability would NOT qualify for the stimulus rebate because they did not pay in taxes for 2007 or did not file? Is this correct?
Your response to the above question is greatly appreciated. I know a few seniors would like to know if they can expect this or not.
if i am getting social security disability,and i get the rebate will social security or state welfare take it away from me by deducting it from the check
My Mother is retired and gets Social Security Check but does not need to file taxes each year. does she need to file for 2007 to get a rebate check?
First time here, It’s kind of interesting, I would like to read more!
I have a child who is over 17 and going to college and claim him as a dependant, will I receive a $300 rebate for him?
ok,here’s a question, my wife and i filed jointly,we only had a A.G.A. of 13,214.00 my wife works,but i’m on S.S.D.,needles to say,my social security benefits are not taxable.and we had a tax liability of $0 so do we qualify for this rebate?
If youve already done your taxes the amount of the rebate check you should recieve is the amount shown on line 44 of your return forms. Then if you have children add $300 per child.
I think the calculator has some problems. One at http://www.yourmoneypage.com is more accurate.
Similar to earlier question. If there is already an offset for student loans, etc. will you receive this rebate or have it applied to debts?
Can it be requested by another means than filing a return? i.e. if someone is filing an extension will they have to wait until later in the year to receive a rebate?
What the citizenry is failing to understand that the rebate checks that they will be recieving is not the U.S governments, but this is your money.
When rebate checks were given in 2001, people were disappointed to see that their subsequent tax returns to be reduced for the 2002 tax year. Yes, this money is nothing more than a future advance on your tax return that you will pay back next tax season. Think about it…where is the money coming from.
Americans have borrowed a significant amount of money from foreign countries to pay for the Iraq war.We are in a deficit. They developed this economic stimulus package to get our country out of a recession, again off the backs of the poor, and the middle-upper middle class.
Um, yeah… I linked the calculator from PBS.org with attribution (see the link immediately following the calculator). As I noted, the calculator is based on the original House version of the economic stimulus plan. You might also have notice that this was published back on January 28th, and was current given what was known at that point in time.
Also, your description of how to determine your rebate completely ignores the income limits.
Your calculator is complete nonsense. It doesn’t correspond to the President’s proposal, the House version, the Senate version, or the final version of the bill (which is now law). You obviously copied this from another website, as various versions of this inaccurate “calculator” are floating around. Obviously, whoever created it never read the proposed legislation and/or didn’t understand it.
However, you don’t need a calculator to compute your rebate:
For single taxpayers, the Γ’β¬ΕrebateΓ’β¬Β amount is the lesser of net income tax liability or $600. If the taxpayer has earned income or social security benefits in excess of $3,000, they will receive a minimum rebate of $300. If someone qualifies for either (the normal or the minimum) rebate, they will also receive a credit of $300 for each of the children claimed as dependents on their returns.
For married taxpayers, the minimum and maximum rebate amounts double to $600 and $1200 respectively. Everything else remains the same.
So, to figure your rebate, compute your income tax for 2007. If that is less than the $600 (or $1200) maximum, that is your rebate amount. Otherwise your rebate amount is the $600 (or $1200) maximum. If your computed rebate is LESS than the $300 (or $600) minimum, your rebate amount is the applicable minimum. Now, add $300 per dependent child. Voila! No need for an inaccurate calculator!
I have other children who I pay child support.
Would this money go to back child support? As I work seasonally and child support isn’t paid when I’m out of work until the next season. Thanks
what if you have a lien on your taxes? my spouse does for old taxes? will this make a difference in getting or not getting a rebate?
What if I have a kid in early 2008? Do I get to claim the $300?
It looks like I’ll get $600…that would be nice…my emergency fund could use a boost!
If I am reading all this correctly, it is based on 2007 income…… I can retire this year then, instead of working to make sure I get this credit……
Whew. That answers my question whether they’d use adjusted gross income or not…
What are we going to do with our rebate if and when we recieve it? First we’ll say a small prayer of thanks for the GOP. But we’ll be feeding the snowball, baby …. and just keep working on melting down that monster!
Thanks so much for the calculator… Much simpler than I thought.
I have 2 teenage kids that each earned more than $3,000 last year at their part time jobs. We can/will claim them on our tax return – and they will file their own returns to get a refund of the excess tax they’ve paid.
If they would get their OWN $600 check, would it make sense to NOT claim them on our joint return as dependents?
Looks like a difference of $300 each. (we will be approaching the $150K AGI limit).
Does this package include any consideration for interest/investment income?
For instance, I am well below the AGI threshold, but if our interest income is greater than $2,900, we do not qualify for the earned income credit.
What I don’t like is that this is based on 2007 AGI and had I known there was an income cap I might have “managed” my AGI differently. For example, capital gains/losses, expenses for rental property, etc. could all have been manipulated to keep me under the cap.
Still hoping when all is said and done I can get my AGI under $75K.
So is it that you owe taxes or paid taxes??
CNN:
“Sources on Capitol Hill and at the Treasury Department said the plan would send checks of $600 to individuals and $1,200 to couples who paid income tax and who filed jointly.
People who did not pay federal income taxes but who had earned income of more than $3,000 would get checks of $300 per individual or $600 per couple.”
(source)
The wording is interesting, it would mean a difference of $300, thoughts?