Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul said the agency is evaluating the White House’s new national guidelines for reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Earlier this week, the White House issued national guidance regarding ‘Opening Up America Again,’” Saul said in a statement. “We are evaluating this information as it relates to our agency and are continuing to closely monitor the COVID-19 situation across the nation.
“In fulfilling Social Security’s mission, when we reopen offices to the public, we will provide a safe environment for both the people we serve and our employees,” Saul said. “As we continue to develop our plans, our offices will remain closed to the public for face-to-face service, and our employees will continue to work remotely and provide services to the public. We will provide updates moving forward and post updated information on the status of our offices, by state, at www.socialsecurity.gov/coronavirus. Our agency will provide these updates directly, and please disregard other sources of information regarding the status of our offices. We will continue to provide the vital service the public relies on.”
Meanwhile, action is needed for people receiving SSI with dependents and those who do not file tax returns to receive the $500 per child payment.
“People receiving SSI benefits who did not file 2018 or 2019 taxes, and have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment,” Saul said. “They should immediately go to the IRS’s webpage at www.irs.gov/coronavirus/non-filers-enter-payment-information.”
SSI recipients who have dependent children and did not file 2018 or 2019 taxes need to act by Tuesday, May 5, in order to receive additional payments for their eligible children quickly.
By taking this proactive step to enter information on the IRS website about them and their qualifying children, they will also receive the $500 per dependent child payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment.
If people in this group do not provide their information to the IRS soon, their payment at this time will be $1,200 only. They would then be required to file a 2020 tax return to obtain the additional $500 per eligible child.
