Question

Am I eligible for the fourth stimulus payment if I file for 2020 taxes?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
December 16, 2021
3 replies
0 views

Can I still file for 2020 taxes in order to possibly receive the fourth stimulus?

TurboTax Free Edition Online

fanfare

Employee

Did you have a dream that the fourth stimulus check arrived in your mailbox ?

Sen. Manchin is not going to allow any more stimulus checks to go out.

Hal_Al

Employee

There is no 4th stimulus payment.

Some news media outlets have been referring to some of the advance child tax credit payments as the 4th stimulus (particularly the December payment).

X

xmasbaby0

Employee

There is no 4th stimulus. Careless reporters are sometimes referring to the last monthly child tax credit payment as a "fourth stimulus" -- which is confusing people.

But----did you file a 2020 tax return? If you did not receive the 1st or 2nd stimulus checks you can use the recovery rebate credit on a 2020 return to get either the 1st and/or 2nd stimulus check. If you already received the 1st and/or 2nd stimulus checks, you cannot receive them again, though.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

fanfare

Employee

" Careless reporters "

Those must be on Fox News.

I've never heard the child tax credit referred to as "stimulus", only as "transformational".

But now it goes poof and turns back into a pumpkin .

O

Opus 17

Employee

If you have taxable income and are required to file a 2020 return, you need to do so even if you are late. You would need to purchase Turbotax 2020 to install on your own computer, since Turbotax online can only prepare a 2021 return at this point.

If you don't have taxable income, the only benefit you might get from filing a 2020 return is the round 1 stimulus ($1200 per taxpayer and $500 per qualifying child dependent) and round 2 stimulus ($600 per taxpayer and $500 per qualifying child dependent), but only if you did not get the stimulus payments previously. Filing a 2020 return now won't enable you to get any advance child tax credit or other payments.

If you file a 2021 tax return, you would qualify for a $1400 round 3 stimulus for each taxpayer and each dependent, t only if you did not get the stimulus payments previously. You would also qualify for a $3000 or $3600 child tax credit, if you claim a child dependent age 17 or under, and the credit would be reduced by the amount of any advance payments.

L

luckyw--Author

Thank you, kindly, for all of the info.

Is there a way to apply for 2020 taxes manually, or do I have to do it online with a 2020 version of a tax prep program?

Hal_Al

Employee

Get paper forms here: https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions

They can be filled out online, then printer or printed and filled out by hand.

For the 2021 tax year, TurboTax is not going to participate in the IRS FREE FILE program . The other 8 IRS FREE FILE offerings open mid to late January and you must link in thru the IRS web site :

https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free