Not sure about my tax return

[angmarie95]

Hello. I filed my husband and mines joint tax return two months ago mailed in a paper form. I’m unsure if it was ever received because I didn’t receive our refund, and when I try to track it it says information could not be found.. when it came to getting our stimulus check we only got half the amount married couples are meant to get (1200). So, I assume they used my 2018 return when I filed single. Therefore my husband filed out a form on the irs website so he could receive his half of the stimulus, which he did a few weeks later. That form was for “non-filers”, but technically we did file together we just don’t know if they ever received it. Do you think doing this would have messed up our 2019 taxes? Will I have to resend them? They said they had to be mailed since for half of 2019 He was living in the UK and only now in 2020 became a permanent resident.

[GiseleD]

Unfortunately, it was not correct to file the "non-filer" form for your husband, since you did jointly file a paper return for 2019 two months ago. He was not a non-filer. The IRS is not processing paper returns right not due to COVID-19, so this is likely why you are not able to track it.

Using the non-filer tool may cause issues in the processing of your husband's stimulus payment, your 2019 return, or both. Please do not resend your 2019 return, as this will only confuse the IRS more. 

If your husband does not receive the stimulus payment in 2020, he can always receive it as a credit on the 2020 return in 2021. The stimulus is actually an ADVANCE on a credit on the 2020 return. 

[angmarie95]

@GiseleD thank you for your reply. So since we incorrectly used the non filer form and he received the stimulus check from that, what should we do about our joint return? Do we just wait to hear from the IRS saying that it was incorrect? I’m hoping there won’t be penalties for this. With all the confusion of Covid-19 we didn’t know what to do, it was not intentional to misuse any forms. 

[GiseleD]

The IRS may contact you about it. If so, just explain what happened. If they don't contact you, please just give them a call at 800 829 1040 when they reopen and explain the mistake. I promise, you are not the only one who has done this--it's just an honest mistake. It has been very common. The IRS has made no mention whatsoever on their site about penalties for people who accidentally file the non-filer form after filing a regular return, so there is no need to worry at this point. 

@angmarie95