@fanfare that is not correct. There are a number of situations that require returning a payment (death of a taxpayer prior to certain dates and nonresidents who filed the incorrect tax return and received a payment have both been explicitly instructed by the IRS to return their payments. It is likely that taxpayers who filed a return indicating that they are not dependents in error, and later amend, will also be instructed to do the same). It is absolutely not the case that the money is never required to be returned.
@josh70205 by any chance does your son receive any social security benefits such as survivor benefits or other benefits on the record of one of his parents? If so, he is actually entitled to the payment and can keep it.
If not, and the funds went directly to him, his tax return may have been filed incorrectly without the indicator that he is a dependent or can be a dependent on another person's tax return. In this case, it is best to return the payment and amend the tax return to reflect this even though it will not change the numbers on his return.
