01/12/2022
If you get letter #6475 from the IRS save it. You will need it to file your taxes.
Here is why:
Don’t panic if a letter from the IRS unexpectedly shows up in your mailbox this month. Tons of Americans are getting them — and the message inside (probably) has nothing to do with an audit.
Starting in late January, the IRS is sending out letters to recipients of the third Economic Impact Payment, aka the COVID-19 stimulus check that went out last year. The notes are intended to help recipients “determine if they are entitled to and should claim the recovery rebate credit on their 2021 tax returns when they file in 2022,” according to a recent news release.
It can be confusing, so let’s recap. Congress has approved three stimulus checks since the coronavirus pandemic began. The first payment was a maximum of $1,200; most people got it in April 2020. The second was $600; most people got it in December 2020. The third was $1,400; most people got it in March 2021..
Anyone who received a third stimulus payment in 2021 will be sent Letter 6475, Your Third Economic Impact Payment.
Most eligible Americans already received their full payments, but if you think you qualified and never got one -- even if you don't typically file a tax return --you'll need Letter 6475 to file a claim for a recovery rebate credit on your 2021 tax returns.
Additionally, if the IRS based your third stimulus payment on your 2019 or 2020 taxes but you made less in 2021, you'll need the documentation to claim that adjusted credit too.