Posted on 05/02/2020 5:09:58 AM PDT by Libloather
Thousands of foreign workers, many living overseas, are receiving stimulus checks designated for U.S. residents due to an unforeseen glitch that funneled taxpayer dollars to other countries, according to tax consultants and the recipients themselves.
College-age workers who spent time in the U.S. in the last two years - some of whom returned home long before the coronavirus pandemic - have been surprised to find $1,200 checks deposited into their bank accounts. And with no clear guidance on how to return it, they’re holding onto the money or racing to spend it before the Internal Revenue Service realizes the mistake.
The incorrect payments were likely distributed to thousands of foreigners in April, said Donna Kepley, president of the tax firm Arctic International who has spoken with dozens of clients over the past two weeks. The error stems from a common tax-filing blunder, particularly for those on F-1 student and J-1 exchange visas. These workers, studying at universities and working summer jobs, often turn to TurboTax and other e-filing systems without knowing that the systems are designed only for U.S. residents.
As a result, many temporary foreign workers each year file the wrong tax forms. The IRS rarely catches the error because nonimmigrant workers’ Social Security numbers have the same number of digits as those of U.S. citizens, and therefore appear to be identical, accountants say.
Usually, the error doesn’t much matter, but this year it’s causing the IRS to think certain foreign workers are eligible for one-time stimulus payments. The glitch affects both workers in the U.S. and those who recently left the country.
The IRS and TurboTax did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
There were 1.1 million foreign students in the U.S. last year, according to the Institute of International Education...
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
If they can't pay it, sell them into indentured servitude.
Our federal government at work.
Seems legit.
Lois Lerner type error?
I now have a livid hatred for our government. We are in need and no stimulus check. Our government has been infiltrated by foreign operatives.
True. When I immigrated from canada, I was given a SSN that looks like any ordinary SS number. No difference. Even family members who worked here used the ITIN’s and there is no difference in the same 9 digits.
And at the same time, millions of American citizens married to foreigners are barred from receiving a stimulus check.
A feature, not a bug.
Haven’t received ours either. I recently read that although our cking account number is in the system on our 2018 tax return, because we did not get a refund, the irs can not use it to deposit stimulus money. You have to add it to that irs getmypaymemt site. Ugh.
Still waiting for my check........
Oh, and will they get a mail in ballot?
oh please! Not a mistake.
We haven’t gotten ours either.
Neither have the wife and I. 80 years old, born and raised in the USA, and both have paid our taxes for over 65 years. But dead people, illegals, and foreigners got theirs. Crappy IRS!!!!
It’s not a bug. It’s a feature.
You want the money back? “Send it back - now - or be permanently barred from ever entering this country ever again. Period.”
So that’s what happened to my check the IRS claimed was deposited in my bank on the 30th but was not.
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