IRS: The Joe Biden Stimulus Check Letter Is Not a Scam
Ethen Kim Lieser
Joe Biden Stimulus Letter,
Many Americans have already received a letter signed by President Joe Biden after their coronavirus stimulus checks under the American Rescue Plan were issued. Don't get scared.
Many Americans have already received a letter signed by President Joe Biden after their coronavirus stimulus checks under the American Rescue Plan were issued.
But some are wondering if this is some sort of a scam, as the letter outlines how much money was disbursed to your account and tells you to visit a website for more information.
In response, the Internal Revenue Service has confirmed in a statement that this is indeed legitimate correspondence from the White House.
“After each of the three Economic Impact Payments is issued, the IRS is required to mail a notice to each recipient’s last known address. The notice provides information about the amount of the payment, how it was made and how to report any payment that wasn’t received. Some people may receive multiple notices about each payment. Most people will simply file the notice with their tax records and won’t need to contact the IRS or take any further action,” the agency said.
“People should keep any IRS notices they receive about Economic Impact Payments with other tax records. The IRS cannot issue replacement copies of these notices. Taxpayers who don’t have their notices can view the amounts of their Economic Impact Payments through their online account,” it added.
Much like Biden’s predecessor former President Donald Trump, the White House used similar letter formatting to detail Biden’s role in successfully delivering millions of payments to financially struggling individuals and families.
“On March 11, 2021, I signed into law the American Rescue Plan, a law that will help vaccinate America and deliver immediate economic relief to hundreds of million Americans, including you,” the letter said. “A key part of the American Rescue Plan is direct payments of $1,400 per person for most American households. … This fulfills a promise I made to you, and will help get Americans through the crisis.”
Biden later added: “When I took office, I promised the American people that help was on the way. The American Rescue Plan makes good on that promise. … I truly believe there’s nothing we can’t do as a nation, as long as we do it together.”
During a recent press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended the letter and its content, saying that it was “pretty standard” and was “not intended to make it about him—it’s about the American people.”
Like the IRS’ notice, she added that the letter “should be kept with tax year 2021 records.”
The IRS and the Treasury Department are currently in the final weeks of sending out the remaining third round of stimulus checks to eligible Americans, of which only about 15 percent have yet to be disbursed.
In all, roughly one hundred sixty-four million payments worth $386 billion have landed in bank accounts and mailboxes.
Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.