WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), joined their colleagues in sending a letter calling on the Treasury Department and Social Security Administration to ensure that all Social Security beneficiaries will automatically receive the direct assistance included in the CARES Act without having to file tax returns.
“This [IRS] filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs during the COVID-19 crisis,” wrote the Senators. “We strongly urge you to ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return.”
Read the Senators’ full letter aquí.
BACKGROUND: While the CARES Act gave the Treasury the authority to send automatic direct cash assistance to Social Security beneficiaries regardless of whether they filed tax returns in 2018 or 2019, the IRS released contradictory guidance earlier this week stating that Social Security beneficiaries would need to file tax returns in order to receive direct payments.
Both Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto voted in support of the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
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