More stimulus checks and ASG tax refunds going out next week
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The second round of distribution for the Economic Impact Payments (EIP) — better known as stimulus checks — totaling more than $4 million for local qualified tax payers — will be delivered to the Post Office in Fagatogo next week Thursday, June 4, and be available for pick up the next day in mail boxes.
This is according to ASG Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a, in a statement released yesterday, which also states that the next round of tax refund checks — totaling more than $2 million — will be released next week Friday.
EIP CHECKS
According to the ASG Treasurer, the second round of EIP checks will cover the following:
• all eligible 2018 tax filers in good standing who hadn’t filed their 2019 tax filing (See Samoa News edition May 21st for explanation of “good standing”);
• all eligible 2019 filers after May 14th whose filings have been fully processed
• a recent update to eligibility guidelines has resulted in a correction to the eligibility of approximately 280 taxpayer for tax year 2019.
The second disbursement of checks — covering about 2,800 tax payers and their qualified dependents — totals approximately $4.8 million, according to the Tonumaipe’a.
In the event you are an eligible stimulus recipient but have not received an EIP check, please visit the Tax Office “as any taxpayer filing currently in error status will not be processed until all pending issues are resolved,” Tonumaipe’a explained.
Any EIP recipient without an active mailbox is asked to inquire with Treasury’s Disbursing Office at 633-4155 by Friday, June 5th.
Enclosed with the EIP check are two notices — one from the White House signed by US President Trump indicating the arrival of your stimulus check and the second one from the ASG Treasury advising the public that EIPs are a “one-time payment” and steps to be taken if you’ve received an EIP for a second time.
For all social security recipients who have not yet received their EIPs from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Tonumaipe’a says that, “in order for us to assist you, please provide your annual social security statements and a valid form of identification” to the Tax Office — so that they could assist recipients in filing a tax return in order to receive an EIP, “even though you do not have any filing obligations.”
TAX REFUNDS
Tonumaipe’a also said that batch #11 of tax refund checks — totaling just over $2 million — will be released on Friday, June 5th, covering the period of Mar. 4th to Apr. 3rd.
The refund checks - covering 1,580 tax payers will also be in the mail and expected to be in mail boxes on Saturday, June 6th.
Of the total refund checks, $788,210 is for local and over $1.22 million for the Additional Child Tax Credit, funded by the US Internal Revenue Service.
The planned release of more than $4.8 million in stimulus and tax refund checks will further boost the local economy, and keep the banks very busy with long lines.