Hi,
I live in Japan and my wife is not a US citizen. I did not receive the first two stimulus checks, but found out when I filed my 2020 returns that the money was available to apply to my taxes. I have always filed jointly and so both my name and my wife's name are on my tax returns.
I did receive the third stimulus check in October. It was pay to the order of both myself and my wife. We have no joint accounts in the US (all in my name) and none of my accounts will allow deposit of this check.
What action can I take? Should I void the check and send them a message requesting it be reissued in my name only? I do not want to contact the IRS by phone - with their wait times, that becomes very expensive.
Thanks,
Dan
The IRS is not going to reissue a check to you in only your name when the original check was issued based on a joint tax return. And the IRS will not ever make a direct deposit to a foreign bank---they will only mail a check to a foreign country. Instead of expecting the IRS to change what they do, have you considered opening a joint checking account with your spouse and depositing the check in that account?
I hear what you are saying about "expecting the IRS to change".
I would love to open a joint checking account or modify one of my existing investment accounts to be a joint account. It is not possible. In order to open a new account or modify an existing account, you need to have a US address -- that is the most basic stumbling block. This is not a new problem and the restrictions that expats face even with their existing accounts vary from institution to institution. I had a couple of mutual fund accounts that I had to close out years ago because they decided they would not support investors outside of the US. If you want to understand the scope and history of this problem, take a look at this article:
https://www.aaro.org/issues/banking/630-access-to-banking-and-financial-services
It would have been great if the IRS had sent the payment to the US account that I use to send them tax payments. I have no account on file for refunds because I haven't received a refund in many years.
I would also be fine with using the stimulus payment for my 2020 tax returns.
Thanks,
Dan