Hello. My dad is incarcerated and was told they are able to receive the rebate this year. Am i able to file for him via turbotax. The form the prison gave him didnt work

[jamesbogard]

He filled out the form the prison gave him but never received his stimulus. Everyone else around him did. Now they arent giving him answers to assist with getting it. Please no judgement.

[DanaB27]

If your father didn’t get your full stimulus payment, he may be eligible to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on his 2020 tax return.

To be eligible he needs to be a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien in 2020 and have a Social Security number that is valid for employment. He cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else to be eligible. 

To claim the credit in TurboTax, please follow these steps:

1. Log into TurboTax.
2. After entering all the information click "Federal Review" at the top of your screen. 
3. On the screen "Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount" click "Continue".
4. You will be asked about the amounts of first round and second round stimulus payments you received.  If you did not receive a payment enter "0".
5. TurboTax will then calculate the amount of stimulus payment remaining that you are still entitled to get. 
6. Any stimulus amount remaining due to you will show as a credit on line 30 of the 1040.

The credit amount will be reduced if his adjusted gross income (AGI) is more than: 

• $150,000 if married and filing a joint return or filing as a qualifying widow or widower
• $112,500 if filing as head of household or
• $75,000 for eligible individuals filing as a single or as married filing separately.  

The payment will be reduced by 5% of the amount by which the AGI exceeds the applicable threshold above. (IRS FAQ Recovery Rebate Credit )

For additional information please see Stimulus FAQ at the end of the TurboTax article.

[pdunker01]

My question is do you complete the on line information with his name, prison address etc. when it ask occupation do you put none? use your own personal phone number?  I am confused as it makes it look like he is completing the info but he of course does not have the ability too  nor does some of the boxes pertain to him? is there a place to mark inmate or anything? it looks like you just complete the personal info, click no on everything else until the rebate recovery question and then click file?

[Opus 17]

As a strictly legal matter, you would prepare a return in TurboTax using your father’s information. The address on the tax return is where he would want mail sent, it does not have to be his prison address if he is OK with getting mail at your house.  Print the tax return and take it to him in prison to sign in ink and then file by mail. Or, you can mail him an IRS form 2848 power of attorney form that will delegate to you the ability to file a return for him. Then you would print the tax return and sign it and mail it to the IRS with form 2848.  I suppose the difference would be that you can mail him a form 2848 and have him sign it and mail it back to you if you do not live close enough to the prison to take a completed tax return to him.  If he does not have a current bank account, the IRS will mail a check—that could be mailed to his prison address if he has a way to cash it, or it could be mailed to your address.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2848.pdf

As a practical matter, if you prepare to return in his name and e-filed it as if you were him without using form 2848, the IRS would probably never bother with it as long as no one complained.  You would still use the address where you want the IRS to send mail including a check, which he does not have to be his prison address. The IRS does not use the phone number, that might be used by TurboTax or your state but if he has no income and is only filing to get the federal stimulus, you don’t need to file a state return. It would be OK to use your phone number in either case.

I would probably go to signature route or form 2848 just so everything is legal and proper.  

[jamesbogard]

Thanks so much

[jamesbogard]

Check out the reply below. He answered a lot of those question you have.

[Lunatink13]

What is my son has been in prison for 7 years and has no tax return? Can I file and he get his stimulus?

[Lunatink13]

Let me reword that. Can I file for him qnd have his stimulus sent to the prison he is at?

[ReneeM7122]

Yes, you can file for your father and have the stimulus sent to the prison he is at.

[Opus 17]

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@Lunatink13 wrote:

Let me reword that. Can I file for him qnd have his stimulus sent to the prison he is at?

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You can't file in your son's name unless you have authorization in the form of a signed form 2848 from your son. That will allow you to sign a tax return in his name.  Then, you can submit a tax return, even with zero income, and he will qualify for the $1200 stimulus from round 1 and the $600 stimulus from round 2.

Also, the IRS will only do a direct deposit into a bank account in his name.  If he does not have a bank account, you can request a check, but he will have to sign it so you can deposit it before the check expires, which might be as short as 90 days.

So you will need to make a couple visits to the prison, to get him to sign a form 2848 for you, and then maybe to have him sign a check, unless he has a bank account on the outside.