IRS chief: agency reaching out on pandemic relief payments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the IRS, on the defensive over millions of Americans in danger of missing coronavirus relief payments, said Wednesday the agency is reaching out to low-income and homeless people, military personnel and veterans and those with limited English to notify them they may be eligible for the aid.

People who don’t normally file tax returns are among those being targeted, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig told a hearing by a House oversight panel.

A congressional watchdog found that millions could miss the payments of up to $1,200 per individual because of incomplete government records. Nearly 9 million individuals who are eligible for the so-called economic impact payments hadn’t yet received them, the Government Accountability Office recently estimated.

“People can’t afford to just wait. They need that assistance now,” said Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, who heads the House Oversight Committee’s government operations panel.

The universal payments were mandated in late March as part of Congress’ unprecedented $2.6 trillion in aid to cushion the blow from the staggering recession and economic shutdowns set off by the global pandemic. Since then, Rettig testified, the IRS has delivered about 170 million payments totaling over $270 billion, mostly by direct deposit but also in paper checks or prepaid debit cards.

“Although the IRS has sent out the vast majority of these payments, it continues its extensive outreach efforts into the historically underserved communities of our nation,” he told the hearing.

All adults earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income annually are entitled to $1,200 ($2,400 for married couples filing jointly) — with those amounts steadily declining for those earning more and phasing out entirely for people earning...