Being American and leaving the country does not mean you won’t receive the benefits you qualify for. During the Covid-19 pandemic, citizens and even foreign residents who lived outside the United States could be eligible to receive federal stimulus checks. So, if they did not receive them, they can still claim them.
According to Bright! Tax, an online tax service provider for US expatriates, individual citizens and residents living outside the United States could be eligible to claim the thousands of dollars the government distributed in stimulus checks. Between 2020 and 2021, there were three stimulus payments totaling $3,400 per individual and up to $2,500 per eligible child.
Eligibility for this money depended on your income and other factors, but the programs were available to Americans living both inside the U.S. and abroad. Essentially, to claim all three, you must file your 2020 and 2021 tax returns.
“The IRS generally allows people up to three years to file the returns tied to the claim,” wrote Katelyn Minott, Tax Executive Director, on the Bright! Tax blog.
For the two stimulus payments claimable on the 2020 tax return, they have until June 15, 2024 to file their returns, according to Minott. For the $1,400 American Rescue Plan payments claimable on the 2021 tax return, they have until June 15, 2025.
Nevertheless, if you are in this situation you should be cautious, because other sources detail different deadlines. The independent Expat US Tax blog, published in October 2023, noted that to file the 2020 federal tax return to claim the first and second stimulus checks, the deadline would be May 17, 2024. Meanwhile, for the third stimulus check, you would have until April 18, 2025 to file the 2021 federal tax return.
Additionally, another detail to consider is that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) “will predefine” the mailing of your check to the most recent bank account and address on file for you. According to Jonathan Rose, an IRS enrolled agent with 12 years of experience in expatriate taxes, that address could be a U.S. P.O. Box or a relative’s residence, to ensure that your check reaches its destination.
Given the disparity in deadlines and to avoid unintentionally running out of time, we recommend consulting a tax professional so you can file your respective tax returns as soon as possible.
