Don’t forget your stimulus check

Gov. Jim Gibbons is encouraging Nevadans — especially seniors and disabled veterans — to check whether they are eligible for federal economic stimulus checks.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, there are more than 43,000 Nevadans receiving Social Security or Veterans Affairs benefits who are eligible for those stimulus checks who haven’t yet received them.

Under the stimulus legislation, the IRS doesn’t calculate eligibility for a stimulus check until an individual files an income tax return. But some who receive Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits aren’t required to file tax returns because their benefits aren’t taxable.

These individuals must file a tax return before Oct. 15 in order to receive their stimulus checks.

Gibbons said nearly 30 percent of those Nevadans haven’t received a check yet.
“I encourage those Nevadans receiving benefits to determine whether they’re eligible for this money,” he said in a release issued Tuesday.

Stimulus checks are not counted as taxable income and do not affect eligibility for other benefits.

More information about the federal economic stimulus checks and downloadable forms needed to file a tax return are available online at www.irs.gov.