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Special release today of stimulus checks issued after ‘error’ found

ASG Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a
Some qualified dependents not included on last week’s EIP checks
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — ASG Treasury Department has issued a “special release” of the federally funded Economic Impact Payment, or stimulus, checks valued at more than $400,000, correcting an error pertaining to qualified dependents for those who received EIP checks since the second distribution of stimulus checks.

In a media statement late Wednesday afternoon, ASG Treasurer Ueligitone Tonumaipe’a explained that on June 5, an error was discovered that resulted in some dependents not being included in the second distribution of EIP checks — which was in mail boxes last Friday.

“As a result of the correction and due to the considerable size of the number of dependents omitted,” Tonumaipe’a said ASG Treasury made the decision to issue a “special release” to resolve this issue and the checks — valued at $482,300.

 The special EIP checks were to have been distributed in the mail today, Friday, but ASG Treasury in a statement yesterday afternoon, says the department encountered an issue and wasn’t able to meet the delivery deadline to the Post Office.

Therefore, any special EIP recipients can pick up their EIP checks from the Disbursing Office starting at 7:30a.m today, Friday, June 12, 2020.

This special release of EIP checks covers all eligible 2019 filers after May 14, 2020 whose filings have been fully processed and whose dependents were not included in their stimulus checks.

According to the ASG Treasurer the special disbursement check total is 389 covering the missing qualified dependents.

“We apologize for our error and any inconvenience this may have caused,” said Tonumaipe’a, who noted that the ASG Tax Office will reconcile any remaining 2019 tax filings, any 2019 or 2018 tax filings that are in error status and any corrections or mistakes as presented to the Tax Office by past EIP recipients up until the extended 2020 tax filing deadline of July 15th.

He also said that a third release of stimulus checks is slated for the latter part of July.

Any EIP recipient without an active mail box is asked to inquire with Treasury’s Disbursing Office at 633-4155.

If you are an eligible EIP recipient but have not received an EIP check, please visit the Tax Office at the ground floor of the A.P. Lutali Executive Office Building in Utulei as any taxpayer filing currently in error status will not be processed until all pending issues are resolved.

Examples of error status, according to ASG officials, includes wrong social security number or incomplete information in the tax filing.

ASG Treasury reminds that EIPs are a ONE-TIME payment and a notice is included with the stimulus check explaining steps to take if you received an EIP for a second time.