Congressman Cohen Leads Letter Demanding IRS Disseminate Crucial Information to Nearly Nine Million Low-Income Americans Regarding their $1,200 Economic Impact Payments

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today led a letter with 32 other Members of Congress demanding that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) alert the non-tax filers of its new Economic Impact Payment (EIP) registration deadline of November 21, 2020. Currently, the agency has no plans to contact non-filers and notify them of its new deadline, despite the fact that it recently sent direct letters to non-filers concerning the original deadline of October 15, 2020. Congressman Cohen's letter also calls on the IRS to expand its outreach efforts and do "everything in its power" to ensure this assistance is received.

The IRS's outreach failure affects nearly nine million non-filers – the majority of whom are very low-income – who have not yet received their $1,200 EIP. Non-filers must submit information to the IRS in order to receive their payment. The IRS's original deadline for non-filers to submit their information was October 15, 2020, but after Congressman Cohen and his colleagues called for an extension for non-filers, the IRS pushed back the deadline to November 21, 2020.

The letter reads in part:

"The IRS should be doing everything in its power to ensure that all Americans, and particularly those with the lowest incomes, receive their EIPs. Thus far, the IRS has stated that it will not directly alert non-filers of its new EIP registration deadline… This unfortunately follows a troubling pattern at the IRS of inadequate and failed outreach efforts to low-income Americans concerning their EIPs."

See the entire letter here.