Nearly 116,000 Minnesotans may have unclaimed $1,200 stimulus checks

(FOX 9) - Nearly 116,000 Minnesotans have yet to collect their $1,200 stimulus checks, according to state officials. 

The Internal Revenue Service recently sent out letters to people who did not file a tax return for either 2018 or 2019, but may still be eligible for an Economic Impact Payment, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue. These are people who appear to have very low incomes and did not have a requirement to file a tax return. 

RELATED: If you didn’t file tax returns, the IRS may still owe you a $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus check

The letter urges recipients to use the Non-Filers tool on the IRS website before the newly extended Nov. deadline to find out if they are eligible to claim an Economic Impact Payment and register to collect it. 

An individual is likely eligible for an Economic Impact Payment even if they:

• are a U.S. citizen or resident alien;
• have a work-eligible Social Security number; and
• can’t be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s federal income tax return.

The payments were part of the CARES Act passed in March in response to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Payments of up to $1,200 for individuals and $2,400 for married couples were sent out in the spring to those who were eligible.  

You do not have to wait to receive your letter from the IRS if you believe you were eligible to receive a stimulus check and have not yet claimed it. The state revenue department is encouraging eligible people to register now using the IRS’s Non-Filers tool.