Schumer Warns: 450,000 New York City Area Seniors Will Not Receive Federal Stimulus Checks In The Mail This Spring Unless They File A Tax Return - Low-Income Social Security Recipients Left In The Dark On How To Obtain Much-Need Money

Press Release

Schumer Warns: 450,000 New York City Area Seniors Will Not Receive Federal Stimulus Checks In The Mail This Spring Unless They File A Tax Return - Low-Income Social Security Recipients Left In The Dark On How To Obtain Much-Need Money

Thousands of Low-Income Social Security Recipients - who Don't Typically File Tax Returns - are Unaware that they Must File a Return this Year to get the Rebate

Low-Income Social Security Recipients are in Line to Receive Checks of $300 per Senior, Vital to Meeting Basic Household Costs

Schumer to Release Statewide County-by-County Report Detailing Number of New Yorkers who Could be Left in the Cold without Crucial Rebate Check

With millions of seniors anxiously waiting for their federal stimulus checks to help cover rising food and medical costs, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed that more than 450,000 seniors in New York City and Long Island could be deprived of their rebate checks owed to them as part of the recently passed economic stimulus package. While New York 's low-income social security recipients are in line to receive checks of $300 this spring, they will only receive the checks if they file an income tax return this year- something they've never been required to do in the past. Most seniors who live solely off their social security checks never have to file a formal tax return and were not planning to this year. This year, they must file a return by April 15 in order to receive a check this spring.

" New York City 's seniors are just the type of people who need the checks the most and at the same time are the most likely to miss out on them," Schumer said. "To be forewarned is to be forearmed and we need to do everything we can to make sure that every person, senior or otherwise, gets their check as quickly as possible and are not left out. This stimulus package is meant to be a jolt to the economy but it will only work if New Yorkers and people all across the country get the checks they were promised."

Schumer said that if you are a low-income Social Security recipient who usually would not file a tax return, then you must file a formal return to get a rebate check. Seniors must do this because Social Security files and Internal Revenue Service databases are completely separate, and from year to year, seniors who receive social security checks, but do not file taxes, would only be included in the Social Security database and left out of the IRS database. The people who receive checks will be based only on the IRS database and not the social security database to avoid duplications.

Schumer today said that this means that roughly one-third of all seniors actually entitled to checks may not receive them unless they know to file a return this year. According to a report Schumer's office is releasing today, there are more than 800,000 seniors in New York State alone who are eligible for checks but who do not usually file a tax return and thus would not automatically receive their checks this spring. Below is how the numbers break out across the city and Long Island :

· In the Bronx , there are roughly 45,700 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· In Brooklyn , there are roughly 95,900 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· In Manhattan , there are roughly 65,300 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· In Queens , there are roughly 95,100 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· On Staten Island, there are roughly 18,400 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· In Nassau County, there are roughly 66,100 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

· In Suffolk County, there are roughly 57,600 seniors who will not receive their checks automatically.

Schumer also noted that New York 's thousands of low-income disabled veterans, who usually would not file a tax return, will also have to file a return to get the rebate.

Schumer today announced that as a member of the finance committee he is working with the IRS, AARP, and other senior citizen groups on an aggressive publicity campaign to inform at the risk seniors and ensure that they file the necessary forms to receive a check. Schumer today also announced that the IRS has placed a simplified sample 1040A form on its website, along with instructions for seniors to follow. Schumer has added a link to the simplified IRS form to his own website, http://schumer.senate.gov.

Earlier this month, Congress passed and the President approved a stimulus package that rushes rebates of $600 to $1,200 to most taxpayers and $300 checks to disabled veterans, the elderly and other low-income people. In general, for taxpayers that owe at least $1 in federal income taxes in 2007, the amount of the rebate will be $600 for a single person and $1,200 for a married couple, plus an additional $300 per child. For taxpayers that do not owe federal income taxes but have at least $3,000 in earned income, self employment income, veterans' disability payments (including payments survivors of veterans), or Social Security benefits in 2007, the amount of the rebate will be $300 for a single person and $600 for a married couple, plus an additional $300 per child.

Source