# Eligibility of stimulus checks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911 "2021-04-13T15:43:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/1 "2021-04-13T15:43:14Z")
Rather than hijack the other thread on the subject, I start this one. Although my wife and I have been US ex-pats for over 50 years, we have religiously filed US tax returns. We never owe anything, first on account of the earned income exclusion and since I’ve retired from the foreign tax credits which far exceed US taxes. I figured I got my reward for this useless activity when we received a joint check for $2400 last summer. Since we have not received either the $600 or the $1400 stimulus checks, I wonder whether the eligibility requirements are different this time around. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/2 "2021-04-14T01:29:01Z")
Mine just came through 6 days ago. Direct deposit to the same bank acct. that received the first two. FWIW. I’m not aware of any eligibility changes. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/3 "2021-04-14T03:11:54Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > I’m not aware of any eligibility changes. Income levels have changed. We got the first one nearly a full amount. We got a small amount for the 2nd, and none for the 3rd. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/4 "2021-04-14T03:14:26Z")
I keep forgetting that income level piece~my income is so low that never enters into my equation. Sorry. Thanks for educating me~fighting ignorance and all. Hopefully I don’t owe tuition🙃 ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/5 "2021-04-14T03:18:01Z")
[Here’s the IRS page about eligibility.](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/questions-and-answers-about-the-first-economic-impact-payment-topic-a-eligibility) FWIW, I’m an expat residing in Australia; I got my first two checks/cheques\* in the mail, and according to [Get My Payment](https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment) the third had been set to mail around the 26th of March. Haven’t got it yet, but mail takes a _long_ time to get from the US to Australia these day; I don’t expect it before the end of this month. \*When they’re in the US, they’re checks, and become cheques when they arrive in Australia. 😃 In transit, they’re in a non-determinate state, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/6 "2021-04-14T16:35:05Z")
> [@galen\_ubal](#): > > When they’re in the US, they’re checks, and become cheques when they arrive in Australia. 😃 In transit, they’re in a non-determinate state, I suppose. When I write a check, it is in US dollars. A cheque is in Canadian dollars. They don’t change their nature like some electron changes its spin. tried I tried the site you linked and tried the get my check link. Filled in my SSN, birth date and address including the Canadian postal code and got told I wasn’t authorized to use the site. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/7 "2021-04-14T17:48:02Z")
First one phased out at $75,000 (double for MFJ). Last one $80,000. Note that 1) phaseout means it’s reduced per $1000, not $0, 2) this is Adjusted Gross Income, not the gross income you “make.” So something else is going on. How do you do your taxes? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/8 "2021-04-15T00:59:13Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > So something else is going on. How do you do your taxes? I print out tax forms, fill them out and mail them in. Then I do the (ugh!) FATCA, a special form of torture devised for ex-pats. Our total net income is a bit over US$100K, too high for the free software and I don’t know that it is set up to handle foreign tax credit… ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/9 "2021-04-15T06:30:51Z")
There are some completely free file service, but I’m not sure they support FATCA. Which relevant forms do you file there, 1116? I’ve been using FreeTaxUSA, completely free as I have no state tax, but not sure if one of the non-supported forms are what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/10 "2021-04-15T16:30:54Z")
I will look at FreeTaxUSA. FATCA is a totally separate return that cannot be filed with the tax return. It can be filled in only online (there is no alternative procedure) and requires filling in exactly the same information time after time. There is also a huge penalty for not filing and duplicates almost totally information filed on 8938. But I digress. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911/11 "2021-04-15T16:50:27Z")
FreeTaxUSA does not allow people with a foreign address to use it. Although why they don’t say so before I registered beats me.