Can overseas residents get the US tax stimulus check?

[Orville_mogul]

This thread just reminded me of a question I wanted to ask about my own circumstances.

I have been living and working outside the US for over 7 years now. Being a good US citizen, I have dutifully filed my taxes each year. However since I am paying tax abroad and my earnings fall below the $85,700 deduction, I have not owed the US government any money in this entire period. Hence I decided this year for the first time not to file.

Then along came Bush’s tax stimulus package, which is dangling up to $1200 in front of my wife and myself. However, one criterion is that we have to file to be eligible. However, before I go through all the trouble of filing, I wanted to know if any Dopers in a similar situation (i.e. earning overseas) have received the the $600/$1200 check, or if you know definitively whether or not I would be eligible.

[Koxinga]

@Endemic

This thread just reminded me of a question I wanted to ask about my own circumstances.

I have been living and working outside the US for over 7 years now. Being a good US citizen, I have dutifully filed my taxes each year. However since I am paying tax abroad and my earnings fall below the $85,700 deduction, I have not owed the US government any money in this entire period. Hence I decided this year for the first time not to file.

Then along came Bush’s tax stimulus package, which is dangling up to $1200 in front of my wife and myself. However, one criterion is that we have to file to be eligible. However, before I go through all the trouble of filing, I wanted to know if any Dopers in a similar situation (i.e. earning overseas) have received the the $600/$1200 check, or if you know definitively whether or not I would be eligible.

Sorry Charlie, you have to file anyway:

@Quoth the IRS

For purposes of determining whether you must file a return, gross income includes any income that you can exclude as foreign earned income or as a foreign housing amount.

.

So if you’re married and filing jointly and made more than USD17,500 last year, ya better fire up your TurboTax!

[Driver8]

@Endemic

I have not owed the US government any money in this entire period. Hence I decided this year for the first time not to file.

Then along came Bush’s tax stimulus package, which is dangling up to $1200 in front of my wife and myself.

Actually, I don’t think it is. I don’t know the exact wording, but one of the requirements in effect says that your rebate won’t be larger than the amount of tax you paid to the IRS in 2007. So if you didn’t pay any US taxes you probably won’t get a rebate, regardless of whether you filed or not.

[Driver8]

@Driver8

Actually, I don’t think it is. I don’t know the exact wording, but one of the requirements in effect says that your rebate won’t be larger than the amount of tax you paid to the IRS in 2007. So if you didn’t pay any US taxes you probably won’t get a rebate, regardless of whether you filed or not.

Actually, nevermind. I just checked the IRS site and that is not what it says.

@IRS

Your stimulus payment is equal to your net income tax liability, but no more than $600, if you are single, or $1,200, if you are married filing a joint return.

If you had no net income tax liability for 2007, you are usually getting a minimum payment of $300, if you are single, or $600, if you are married filing jointly, as long as you had qualifying income of at least $3,000 in 2007.

I’m not sure if the foreign income counts as “qualifying income”. The list on the site didn’t seem clear to me.