How To Get A College Student Stimulus Check

Published December 23, 2021 · · Updated June 26, 2024 · 6 minutes · by Kamerpower ·

How To Get A College Student Stimulus Check – Do college students get a stimulus check? Yes, stimulus checks are available for college students including Covid-19 relief too. College stimuli check is one of the results of the pandemic. 

The Coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security Act is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the U.S congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump. College students can get up to $1,800 in the stimulus. Many college students lost their jobs or had reduced income. 

Do college students get a stimulus check?

For the first stimulus check and second stimulus check, most college students didn’t get either because dependents 17 years and older didn’t qualify for a stimulus check. However, with the third stimulus check, there are two ways that a college student can get a stimulus check.

College students can claim the stimulus payment in the form of recovery rebate credit if the student has not been claimed as a dependent.

The Stimulus Checks eligibility for a college student

Dependent: If you are a dependent college student, meaning someone claims you on their income tax return, the person who claims you can get up to a one-time $1,400 stimulus check. (While this is a one-time stimulus check, some members of Congress have proposed $2,000 stimulus checks every month until Covid-19 is over).

Independent: If you are financially independent, meaning you provide more than half of your own financial support, you could qualify for a third stimulus check.

How college students can use the stimulus check?

College student stimulus can be spent anyhow the student sees fit. The stimulus is meant to ease their revenue crisis and as such could be used in ways the student spent their monies before. Tuition, feeding, clothing, entertainment? There is no restriction on how you can spend the money.

What if my check doesn’t arrive?

Within 15 days of mailing your check (or directly depositing it into your bank account), you will receive a notice in the mail indicating the method of payment, the amount of payment, and an IRS phone number to call if you didn’t receive your payment.

Both the payment (paper check) and notice will be mailed to your last known address the IRS has on file. If you have recently moved, you should file a Form 8822 with the IRS and a change of address notice with the U.S. Postal Service. This will ensure correspondence and payments from the IRS will be sent to your new address.

How to get a student stimulus check?

You must converse with your parent or guardian before you think of applying for stimulus. You may need the money but that doesn’t mean your parent cannot give them to you when they claim you as a dependent. Going independent will rob your parent or guardian of the chance to pay lower taxes in the future if they do not have any kid to claim again as a dependent.

So, have a discussion and when you have come to a common ground to apply for the check, visit the IRS to file your tax information for the past year. 

After filling and you are sure to have filled your account number and email, the IRS would do the rest by sending the money to your account or mailing you a check-in equivalent amount.

How to apply for college student stimulus check

Students who cater for themselves but don’t normally file tax returns:

This category of students fends for themselves, they may still be underage, living in their parent house among others; they fend for themselves and earn below $12,400.

This category is eligible for a stimulus check but would not get any because the IRS and Treasury department has no address where they can send the checks to. Since you don’t file tax returns, you should contact the IRS to claim your college student stimulus.

You are eligible for a student stimulus as an independent if:

Turned 24, graduated, or started working in 2020: some college students may have received their diploma, married, or turned 24 years of age in 2020. If you have started work and/or moved out of your parent’s house, you would be most likely eligible for a $1,800 stimulus check ($1,200 for the first round and $600 for the second round). You are eligible because of your lifestyle change between 2019 and 2020. 

However, there are other criteria to be met before you can apply. They include:

• You must earn up to $75,000 as a single adult or $150,000 as a couple. You would not get the stimulus if by the first round you have earned more than $99,000 as a single adult and $198,000 as a couple.

Changing your tax status for college student stimulus

A student may be eligible for the college student stimulus if they are willing to change their tax status. You should be careful however since you have a lot of proofing to do that you are at least half self-sufficient. To be able to change your status, you must be able to show evidence of the fact that you cater to at least half of your needs.

Students that live on campuses are close to this category; while you that stay at home, have no work will find it difficult to convince the board that you are independent.

This may cost your parent a lot in the long run as they will not be able to file more tax-friendly results if they are single and have no other dependents.

You may get $300 stimulus check a month if you have a child

More than 20% of college students have children. If you have children, the stimulus package includes up to a $3,600 cash allowance for children under age 6, which is a $300 check every month. There’s also up to a $3,000 cash allowance for children ages 6 to 17, which equates to a $250 check every month. The previous child tax credit was an annual benefit of $2,000.

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