Stimulus Checks Tips for Parents (Including Parents of Adult Disabled Children)

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Art: Robin Mead

Welcome to the wonderful and confusing world of parents trying to get stimulus checks! Below you will find info for:

  • New Babies
  • Kids under 17
  • Kids 17 or 18
  • Adult Children
  • Which Parent Gets the Payment
  • Parents on Social Security
  • Kids on Social Security
  • Parents who owe child support
  • Parents who are owed child support
  • Getting a paycheck while home with your kids
  • Impact on SSI, Medicaid, Food Stamps, HUD
  • Tip for Parents of disabled adult children
  • Tips for parent providers

New Babies

Babies are eligible for the $500 child benefits.

If you had a new baby in 2019, try filing 2019 tax return or signing up for stimulus payment now, so that the child will be included.

If you had a new baby in 2020, is it too late to get the child benefit? We don’t know. Treasury Department hasn’t released rules for this.

To get the $500 payment, you must either:

Children Age 1 through 16

If your child is under 17, they qualify for a $500 child benefit. If you have more than one child, it is $500 each.

If you have already filed taxes and claimed the child as a dependent in 2018 or 2019, you don’t have to do anything else.

To get the $500 payment, you must either:

See below for more details on child support, disabled children, divorced parents, assistance during school closings, and other help for parents.

Children Age 17 and 18 

Children age 17 or 18 are not usually eligible for any kind of stimulus payment. Here’s an exception we’ve heard from readers.

The IRS is using the child tax credit to determine who gets child’s checks. If the child tax credit appears on your taxes, you automatically get the $500 extra child payment. Our readers are reporting that:

If your child is 17 now, but was 16 in December 2019, you may become eligible for the child payment if you file a 2019 tax return now and claim the child tax credit.

If your child is 17 or 18 now, but was 16 in December 2018: One reader reported they were eligible by not filing a 2019 return, the IRS then uses the 2018 return, where the child was claimed for the child tax credit.

If you’ve already received your stimulus check and no child’s benefit was included, is it too late? We don’t know. The treasury department has not released rules for this.

To get the $500 payment, you must either:

  • File taxes in 2018 or
  • File taxes in 2019 or

You can file taxes even if you have no income.

See below for more details on child support, disabled children, divorced parents, assistance during school closings, and other help for parents.

Children Age 18+ Who Are Dependents

If your child is claimed as a dependent on your taxes, the child will get $0 stimulus payment.

See below for more details on child support, disabled children, divorced parents, assistance during school closings, and other help for parents.

Children Age 18+ Who Are Not Dependents

If your child is not claimed as a dependent on taxes, the child is eligible for $1,200 payment.

Learn more about who is considered a dependent and who isn’t: Dependents & Stimulus Checks

To get the $1,200 payment, the child needs to either:

  • File a tax return or
  • Sign up for a stimulus payment or
  • Be on Social Security

Children 18+ Who Stop Being Dependents

If the child was declared on your taxes as a dependent in 2019, they won’t be eligible this year.

If they are no longer a dependent now, at the end of 2020, they can file their own taxes and get their check at that time.

Note: In deciding whether to declare your child as a dependent, you must follow special IRS rules and regulations: Dependents & Stimulus Checks

To get the $1,200 payment, the child needs to:

  • File a tax return in 2020

Which Parent Gets the Check?

For children under 17, the payment goes to whichever parent claimed the child as a dependent on 2019 income taxes or whoever signs up the for a stimulus check and lists the child as a dependent.

Nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter who the child lives with or who is the representative payee or who has guardianship. It also doesn’t matter if the child receives Social Security off a parent’s income record.

Claiming the child when you file taxes or signing up is all that matters.

Update from readers: The IRS can be slow at processing tax returns. If they haven’t processed yours yet, they may send the check to whoever claimed the child in 2018.

What if Both Parents Claim the Child?

It’s better to try to avoid doing this. If it happens, you’ll have to research the tax laws on how to resolve this situation.

What If Neither Parent Claimed the Child?

Sign up now. Three Places to Sign Up For Stimulus Checks

My Child Is On SSI? Will They Get an Automatic Check?

No. If your child is under 17, you need to file taxes or sign up for a stimulus payment. Three Places to Sign Up For Stimulus Checks

I Am On Social Security? Will My Kids Get an Automatic Check?

No. If your child is under 17, you need to file taxes or sign your kids up for a stimulus payment.

WARNING – Some places on the IRS site makes it sound as if you should not use their sign-up tool if you are on Social Security. Ignore this. Social Security and the IRS both make it clear: if you have kids, you should sign up. Three Places to Sign Up For Stimulus Checks

If You Are Owed Child Support

Stimulus checks and tax refunds can be taken to pay you the child support you are owed. But it won’t happen automatically. You would need to arrange for state child support office to collect payments. If you are on TANF or apply for TANF this may happen automatically. About Offsets For Child Support. Find your local Office of Child Support Enforcement.

If You Owe Child Support

If you owe past child support, in some cases, your stimulus check might be used to pay the back child support instead of being sent to you. This will not happen to everyone who pays child support. Your check will only be offset if your case has been reported to child support enforcement. They will use the standard IRS rules to decide: Will My Check Be Offset For Child Support?

Home With The Kids?

Are your kids home due to school closings? Tips for collecting salary and other ways to avoid losing your mind: Home with the Kids in the Time of Corona

You may be eligible for paid leave or unemployment pay while home with your kids: 10 Ways Salary Can Continue When Your Work Stops or Hours Reduce

Will the Stimulus Check Impact My Child’s Benefits?

No. The stimulus checks are being structured as tax refunds (even if you paid no taxes). Tax refunds do not count against food stamps, SNAP, CalFresh, HUD, Medicaid, TANF, SSI, healthcare marketplace credits, and most other government programs.

The stimulus check also will not count if it makes your bank account too high (it doesn’t count for 12 months).

Want official confirmation? Look here: Congressional Research Services Summary and 26 U.S. Code § 6409 and Fact Sheet from House Committee on Ways and Means

Tips for Parents With Adult Disabled Child

If your child is a dependent, you may wish to check to see if your support is lowering their other benefits. Most of our readers report that their adult disabled child who lives at home is still able to receive maximum SSI and full or partial food stamps.

Maximum SSI $780 in most states, slightly higher in some states. $910 in California. Maximum food stamps for a child over the age of 21 is $200. Higher in Alaska and Hawaii.

Child support for adult disabled children can also lower benefits or interfere with Medicaid, unless the funds are directed into a trust:

Disabled Adult Child Social Security Benefits

This is a special kind of benefit for people who first became disabled before age 22. The child will begin this benefit when one parent dies, retires, or becomes disabled.

There are many special policies and little-known regulations that can be very important for anyone on this type of benefit. Learn more: How To Navigate Disabled Adult Child Benefits (Social Security from Your Parent’s Income Record)

Tips for Parent Providers

For parents who are paid by the state to take care of your disabled child (through IHSS or another program).

If your income is not taxable, and you don’t normally file taxes, you can sign up to get your check: Three Places to Sign Up For Stimulus Checks

In California: more tips for parent providers: How Can I Get My IHSS Income Excluded from SSI? Medi-cal? CalFresh? Taxes? HUD? Housing Vouchers?

Learn a Bunch More

The Disabled Person’s Guide to Stimulus Checks

Today’s Updates

For anyone who is homebound or sheltering in place: Food. Rent. Internet. Unemployment. Paid Leave. Student Loans. Grocery Delivery. Love. Bills. Online Doctors. What to Do During School Closings: Read All of Today’s Updates

Remember ME

This blog was created by people with ME/CFS (Sometimes called “Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”).

Being homebound is nothing new to us. Many of us have been homebound or bedridden for five, or ten, or twenty years.

There is now a great deal of support, understanding, and help available to people staying home during Coronavirus, but none of this was available to us all these years, and when Coronavirus is over, it may go away again.

As you go about your day, please take a moment to think about your homebound friends. You may be able to go back out someday, but we may never be able to.

💗💗💗,

 

 

25 thoughts on “Stimulus Checks Tips for Parents (Including Parents of Adult Disabled Children)”

  1. Hello came across your blog and wanted to ask you something that I am confused about. I have an 8 year old autistic son With ADHD who receives SSI. He’s been on SSI since he was a baby. I am his payee so his monthly payments go to my checking account. I did my 2020 taxes through Turbotax. I was accepted Feb 10 and claimed both my denpendents.I received my refund toward the end of February. also got my 3rd stimulus payment the middle of March. Wondering being that my son is a SSI child recipients will he receive a stimulus? Kind of confused about it, some people were telling me I will. But as I was goggling information I kept seeing that the only people who are eligible. Are SSI recipients with children and also adult children that get disability benefits and adult children that were claimed as a dependent.

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  2. We paid our house of with my husband 401k because his work shut down. My question is would we have received a check is our income was to high? We also have a adult disability nephew that live we us. We also claim him on our taxes. Also my husband is retire

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  3. I am my daughters representative payee for her SSI that she gets through her dad. I claimed her on 2018 taxes and he claimed her on 2019 taxes. Her father was expecting a $500 check for her but didn’t sign up for it in time. I did not request her stimulus. A $1200 deposit was made in the custodial account I set up for her SSI payments. I figured that it must have been a mistake and havnt touched the $, basically waiting for IRS to ask for it back. Her father found out IRS put money in this account and is now saying I committed IRS fraud and embezzlement by not giving him the $$. Do his accusations have any standing?

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  4. So, I live with family member 2017, 2018, and 2019. Moved out end of Feb Beginning of March 2020. She claimed my 3 children 2018 and 2019. How would I apply to get stimulus for my children?

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  5. I’m 33 years old and my mom claimed me on her 2019 taxes bc she did not realize I had over $5,600 gross income. I have only filed a paper return for 2018 though and not filed my 2019 taxes at all, and i was not claimed in 2018. My question is will i get my stimulus since i was not claimed in 2018 or will i have to file my 2019 taxes and have her do an ammend file to get my stimulus?

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  6. My wife and I live with our son, he filed taxes for his parents. Would his parents be getting stimulus check?

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  7. My Husband and I are both on SSDI and our son who is 10 receives Social Security benefits thru my husband. We received our stimulus payment of $2900 in April. Around May 28th the IRS put another $1200 for my son into the bank account. I had my bank deny the amount and return it to the IRS per a conversation with an IRS agent after being transferred twice and being on hold for 3 hours and 45 min. He didn’t know what had happened but would note the file. Now they are mailing my son a check for $1200 on July 6th. The same exact thing also happened to a friend of mine and her son at the exact same time except she never received the $500 payment for him to begin with. Has anyone else heard of this happening?

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  8. if my husband needs an ip pin and does not have one are me and my children eligible for a stimulus check? My daughter received Ssi I am here rep payee and I have three other kids do we still qualify without my husband getting a check? We havent ffiled taxes since 2017

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  9. Question my son turned 18 this year and I claimed him on my 2019 tax return and he also received Disability I’m the payee will he get a stimulus check

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  10. Question my son turned 18 this year and I claimed him on my 2019 tax return and he also received Disability I’m the payee will he get a stimulus check

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  12. Question my mom’s my payee and I am 36 but I am not claimed as a dependent because she’s on social security too and don’t make enough to fill taxes will I get mine in the same account I get my social security or will it go in her account where today she got hers which is a different bank all together ?

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  14. My 18 year old is on ssi she has cerebral palsy since birth I did not claim her on my taxes will she get the 1200

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      1. if my husband needs an ip pin and does not have one are me and my children eligible for a stimulus check?my daughter is on Ssi and we not file taxes and no one is a dependent

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    2. my son is 42 yrs old he was declared dis abled at age 17 and has been receiving social security since. he worked for 5 yrs prior to his disability.i claimed him as a dependent in 2018 and 2019. he filed taxes both years. is he entiled to a stimulus check. there are some sites that say no and other sites that state changes were made and he is entitled. what is rite

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  16. Hi I have a question, if my partner who lives with me filed our daughter on his taxes this year and also got stimulation check for her, can she still get another stimulation check? If she’s on SSI?

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