https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center#nonfilertool
A58. Please review all scenarios below to determine if action is needed.
If you have not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return and are NOT required to file, and you do not have a spouse or qualifying children to claim:
You do not need to take any action. You do not need to contact the IRS, Social Security Administration (SSA), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) or Veterans Affairs. The IRS will use the information from your 2019 benefits to generate a Payment to you. You will receive your automatic Payment as a direct deposit or by mail, just as you would normally receive your federal benefits. For example, if your benefits are currently deposited to a Direct Express card, your EIP will also be deposited to that card. If your benefits are currently deposited to your bank account, your EIP will also be deposit to that account. You can check Get My Payment for the status.
If you have already filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return:
You do not need to take any action if you already filed a tax return (this includes filing a joint return with your spouse). The IRS will use information on your tax return to determine if you are eligible for the Economic Impact Payment. If you haven’t filed a 2019 return yet but did file a 2018 return or if the IRS has not finished processing your 2019 tax return, we will send the Economic Impact Payment automatically using the information provided on the 2018 tax return. If your return included information on your direct deposit account for any tax refund, the Payment will be sent to the same account. You can check the Get My Payment application for the status of your Payment.
IRS won’t have direct deposit information if you owed tax, applied your refund to the 2020 estimated tax, or received a refund check instead of a direct deposit on the most recently filed tax return.
If you have not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return and are required to file:
If you are required to file a tax return or plan to file to claim certain credits, you should file your 2019 return as soon as possible to receive your Economic Impact Payment. Consider using IRS Free File to electronically file your return. Filing electronically and using the Direct Deposit option is the fastest and most secure way to get your refund and Economic Impact Payment.
If you don’t provide direct deposit refund information or owe tax when you file your 2019 return, the IRS will schedule your Payment to be issued by mail to the address you provide on the return.
Do not use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool if you are required or plan to file a 2019 tax return. Using the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool will make it necessary for you to amend your tax return which, in turn, delays the processing of the tax return and any tax refund claimed on it. Moreover, a delay in processing of your tax return will lead to a delay in your Economic Impact Payment.
If you have not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return and are NOT required to file, and you have a spouse or qualifying children to claim:
The benefit recipient will receive your automatic $1,200 Payment. If your spouse is also a benefit recipient, your spouse will also receive an automatic $1,200 Payment. If you did not register your spouse or a qualifying child using the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool before your Payment was scheduled, you and your spouse will each receive an automatic Payment separately. The additional amounts for any qualifying child will be paid based on the 2020 return that you will file in 2021.
However, while the benefit recipient can no longer use the Non-Filers tool to add their spouse or qualifying children, people in this group may have a spouse who is not receiving Social Security, Railroad Retirement and VA benefits separately. To receive an Economic Impact Payment, an eligible non-beneficiary spouse may need to take action to receive their $1,200 Payment.
A non-beneficiary spouse of a benefit recipient can still use the Non-Filer tool to get their $1,200 and add any qualifying children if the spouse is an eligible individual and is not required to file a tax return, even if the benefit recipient missed an earlier deadline to do so. If eligible, your spouse may use the Non-Filers tool only if your spouse is not required to file a return for 2019 or 2018 and has not been issued their own Economic Impact Payment. Your spouse should enter information as a “Single” filer in the tool instead of Married Filing Joint.
Caution: Do not use the Non-Filer tool if you are required to file a return. This will delay your Economic Impact Payment and prevent you from filing your tax return electronically.
Note: Direct Express Account Holders: If you use the Non-Filers tool, you cannot receive your payment on your Direct Express card. You may only select a bank account for direct deposit or leave bank information blank and receive the Payment by mail.
If you were claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return:
You do not need to take any action. You do not qualify for the Economic Impact Payment; you can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. However, if you are not someone’s dependent in the 2020 tax year, you may be able to claim the credit by filing a 2020 tax return in 2021.
