March 20, 2008

IRS offices open ‘Super Saturday’ to help with stimulus payments

The Internal Revenue Service’s offices in the Bay Area will be open on Saturday, March 29 to help people file a tax return in order to receive their economic stimulus payment, commonly referred to as a rebate. IRS personnel will be on hand to answer questions about the payments and file tax returns.

IRS and its community–based partners across the country are opening their doors as part of a nationwide campaign called “Super Saturday.” The goal of this day is to help people file for and receive their payments.

“We’re providing this special service to help people who can’t come in during the week,” said IRS spokesperson Jesse Weller. “Come in on Super Saturday and we’ll see to it that you get your stimulus payment.”

Five Bay Area Taxpayer Assistance Centers along with more than 300 IRS locations in all 50 states will be open on Super Saturday. Bay Area IRS offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in San Jose at 55 South Market Street in downtown San Jose.

You must file a 2007 federal income tax return in order to receive a stimulus payment. More than 20 million households, including approximately 1.9 million Californians, may qualify for an economic stimulus payment but are not normally required to file a tax return, and may not have filed in several years.

Community organizations are also participating in Super Saturday by sponsoring sites where people who usually do not file a tax return can receive free tax preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs. Call 211 or 1-800-906-9887 for the nearest VITA or TCE site in your community.

Individuals may be eligible for a minimum payment of $300 ($600 for married couples) even if they are not required to file a tax return because their income falls below the filing requirement. There also is an additional payment of $300 for people with eligible children younger than 17.

Filers must have at least $3,000 of qualifying income to receive the minimum economic stimulus payment. Qualifying income is any combination of Social Security retirement, disability or survivors’ benefits; disability compensation, disability pension or survivors’ benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs; Tier 1 benefits from Railroad Retirement, certain combat pay and earned income from wages, salaries, tips or net earnings from self-employment that are includible in taxable income.

The IRS Web site, IRS.gov, is also a great source of information about stimulus payments, including general information and frequently asked questions.