Category: Government Rebates and Payments

Under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding has been provided to expand the current Child Tax Credit (CTC) to $3,000 annually per child (or $250 monthly) between the ages of 6 and 17, while increasing it to $3,600 for children under the age of 6 (infants), equivalent to $300 monthly. The IRS will…

"When are my unemployment benefits actually ending?" This is a question several readers have been asking following the extension of federally funded enhancement benefit programs (PUA, PEUC and $300 FPUC) under the Biden ARPA stimulus bill to September 6th, 2021. However many states, per the table below have already announced…

Millions of American's have been relying on unemployment benefits over the last few years. This has also meant a growing number of jobless or underemployed folks on unemployment have or are about to reach the end of their benefit year. While pandemic enhanced unemployment benefits (PUA and PEUC programs) have…

The IRS has been making millions of “catch-up” or “plus-up” payments to those who have filed recent tax returns or updated payment/dependent information. These Plus-Up Payments are set to be distributed up until December 31, 2021. Actual payment or deposit of these funds could go into early 2022. These “plus-up” payments…

With one of the busiest tax seasons on record the IRS is caught between paying out the latest round of stimulus payments - $1400 per adult and $1400 per qualifying dependent (and this time adult dependents are included) - and processing 2020 tax refunds for millions of tax filers. The clear answer to the…

The IRS says that most refunds will be paid within 21 days, but many tax filers are finding out (yet again) that it could take much longer, despite filing early and getting their return accepted by the IRS. Waiting weeks, months or even a whole tax season for IRS updates…

[Updated following DOL Guidelines] We finally have an official answer to the question in this article and earlier discussion around how many weeks are actually in the ARP bill that funded the second extension of enhanced unemployment benefits. The Department of Labor (DOL) has acknowledged in program guidelines for state…

I've been receiving numerous concerns from readers about the IRS messages and codes appearing when they check their refund status using the Where’s My Refund (WMR) tracker, the IRS2Go mobile app, or their free IRS transcript. Many filers feel stressed and anxious when they see these codes, wondering what they…

While many have hailed the new unemployment tax breaks and expanded child tax credit in the Biden Stimulus Plan (ARP) as a boon to lower and middle income households, there is a concern that the IRS will have a tough time implementing and making payments (where applicable) for these new…

Under the now approved Biden administration’s nearly $2 trillion stimulus package, also known as the American Rescue Plan (ARP), provisions have been added to provide relief for lower income and middle class Americans to save on Health Insurance if they are out of a job, and on COBRA benefit from their…

Updated for $15 billion in IRS Refund Adjustments Payments Made in 2023 The IRS announced they have finally completed final corrections for 2020 tax filings for taxpayers who inadvertently overpaid their taxes on unemployment compensation they received in 2020. The additional pandemic unemployment insurance income increased taxpayers taxable income (AGI…

Congress and President Biden have now passed into law the $2 trillion stimulus package, also known as the American Rescue Plan act (ARPA). It includes further unemployment program extensions until September 6th, 2021 for the PUA, PEUC and FPUC programs originally funded under the CARES act in 2020 and then extended via the…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted unanimously for a $3.2 billion program, approved as part of the $900 billion COVID Relief bill that provides emergency discounts of up to $50 per month toward broadband internet service for low-income households adversely affected by the pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program…