# Has anyone gotten the tax rebate (child) check yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171 "2003-07-31T17:10:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/1 "2003-07-31T17:10:10Z")
Anyone who claimed a child under 17 and was able to take the child credit on the 2002 return is supposedly entitled to a tax rebate. The checks were supposed to start going out last Friday, based on the last four digits of your social security number. There has been some confusion as to who will actually be getting the checks–some people in lower and even middle income range won’t be getting them! ☹ At any rate, I was just wondering if anyone had gotten their check yet. It’s $400… and the Bush administration is advising the folks put it into savings, btw. LOL Mine is going to go towards my son’s school supplies, partly at least, and probably the rest to help pay bills. I did try to do a search to see if this topic had been posted, but couldn’t get a search to work for me. thanks in advance, tarragon ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/2 "2003-07-31T17:12:59Z")
We got ours last week. I believe they were issuing them by the primary person’s SS# on your last tax return. They didn’t mail the first batch out until last week from what I recall. Hopefully you will get it soon. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/3 "2003-07-31T17:18:51Z")
The first batch was mailed out 7/25. How’d you get yours so early, Aries28? ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/4 "2003-07-31T17:22:33Z")
Whoops, I forgot the link for tarragon! [Here ya go](http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=111546,00.html)! ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/5 "2003-07-31T17:25:38Z")
Not sure but when I checked the mail on Saturday there it was. We have already spent it and put some in savings. It’s times like these that I’m happy we have 5 dependents. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/6 "2003-07-31T17:31:34Z")
Ah. That tells me mine went to my former address. I guess I’ll be getting mine in the fall of 2005 now. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/7 "2003-07-31T17:38:53Z")
Ours will be in the last batch, if they send it - we still owe the balance of our taxes for last year (one more payment, I think) - I don’t know if that affects when’if they send a check. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/8 "2003-07-31T19:07:37Z")
We got it. I know we’re supposed to spend it to help spur the economy, but Ivylad wants to pay off some credit card bills. ---
**Author:** ![cybersnark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@cybersnark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cybersnark)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/9 "2003-07-31T19:13:21Z")
Hold on a sec - to get it, your kid has to be born after Dec. 31, 1986. We just missed it - so I think I’ll vote for someone besides Bush (actually, I woulda anyway, but it does make me mad that we don’t qualify - he’ll be 17 this year, so why doesn’t he count???) ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/10 "2003-07-31T21:32:25Z")
Ooh, it’s $400/child, I think. No wonder Aries28 is so happy. 🙂 And just today I received a notice from the IRS that it would be sent “in the next two weeks” - so hopefully it will come on Monday or so ::crosses fingers & knocks on wood three times:: thanks for the info folks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/11 "2003-07-31T22:40:56Z")
Ours came on 7/26, as well. Just in time for vacation. It is now recirculating, giving the Philadelphia economy a boost. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/12 "2003-08-01T01:48:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Hold on a sec - to get it, your kid has to be born after Dec. 31, 1986 Well, my 16 year old, who I support, was born in Sept, 1986. So I don’t get a check? WTF? Can anyone link to where the theory is about why you get a check if you kid was born _after_ 1986? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/13 "2003-08-01T03:16:06Z")
My daughter was born 12/05/86 - If only the ex had been able to hold out for 26 more days! 😛 My son, however, with a 09/17/90 did qualify and I got my check yesterday as he is the one I claim on my taxes. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/14 "2003-08-01T04:10:38Z")
We got ours on Monday. **tarragon918** , are you sure its $400 per child? I thought it was only per family. Hopefully, I am wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/15 "2003-08-01T04:10:45Z")
All of my children were born after 86, but we didn’t get this deal last time around and I doubt we will get it this time. And isn’t it just an advance on your income tax returns? So when you file you subtract that from what you would get back since you already got it now? ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/16 "2003-08-01T05:32:02Z")
I was going to post about this… We got our check Saturday 7/26. On Monday 7/28 we got the letter saying we would be getting a check in the next two weeks. My hubby said AW RIGHT WE GETTWO CHECKS!😃 paid our house payment \*savings? who da hell has saving with a Bush in the White House? \* ---
**Author:** ![Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/73ab20/32.png) [@Caesar\_s\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caesar_s_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/17 "2003-08-01T06:49:42Z")
Yeah, my mom and dad got theirs last week. It was just $400, for my brother, because I was born June 10, 1986. Two days later, we got a check that looked exactly the same only it was for $4.32. Not sure what that was about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/18 "2003-08-01T07:16:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kricket \* > \*\*And isn’t it just an advance on your income tax returns? > So when you file you subtract that from what you would get back since you already got it now? \*\* Bingo! Because we calculate our payments by the newest tax code available, our “refund” is going to go into our tax account, to be sent right back to the the IRS in the coming quarter. How do they figure we all need a “rebate” when we haven’t haven’t paid the whole year’s taxes yet? ---
**Author:** ![tarragon918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@tarragon918](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarragon918)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/19 "2003-08-01T10:00:13Z")
Oops, maybe it’s not $400/child? What the money actually is, is an advance on the 2003 tax return, I -think-. That’s why your child had to be born after 12/31/1986. ::turning on snark-o-meter here:: You know, only Republicans could think up such a convoluted tax credit!::snark-o-meter off:: What I don’t understand is why the cut-off for claiming a child for this credit is 17, instead of 18?! Does that make sense?! I’ll still re-circulate that $400 though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171/20 "2003-08-01T10:22:35Z")
Well, since my kid was born in 85, I guess I won’t be getting anything. And it is per child, not per household. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-gotten-the-tax-rebate-child-check-yet/192171.md?page=2)