With new government programs often come new problems. One problem that became instantly clear for many Morris Firm For Men clients, is that the stimulus check either never came, or it went to the wrong account! Not everyone is eligible to receive a stimulus check, and unfortunately it was decided that people in arrears for child support are not eligible. Here is the link to the IRS website to determine your eligibility and to check on the status of your stimulus check. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments.
According to the IRS website, those who are eligible should receive $1,200 per person, and that the money will be direct deposited. The site says, “We will send your payment using the information you provided with your 2019 tax return. You will not be able to change it.” But this also raises new issues. What if the parties had previously filed jointly and are either no longer married or currently going through a divorce? There have already been a number of complaints from eligible individuals that the money has gone to the wrong account or to the wrong spouse. In a perfect world, the parties would do the right thing and turn over half of the check received (arguably to include half of the amount awarded for any dependents) where the parties were together the previous year. However, we all know that is not the case and in situations where the parties are just coming out of a messy divorce, its probably even less likely that it will just be given up with out a fight. The good news is (or at least we hope it is good news) that the IRS already has a mechanism for recovering that money, and here is the link https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8379?fbclid=IwAR0kpsRjUatf2k0Mr0gUDBbifX5XJTARAl8lyblIlakOwIZJr8tYPYo_650
Obviously, this is not meant to be an “everything you need to know about the stimulus check” type article, but I hope this short blog has been helpful. I am not a tax attorney, just an advocate for father’s right here in Alabama where my law firm is located and we fight for 50/50 custody. If you have additional questions, feel free to give us a call, 334-398-8250.
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