Yesterday, Friday, was the latest day you could expect to get your rebate.
Your economic stimulus payment was to have been delivered by now, no matter what your Social Security number is.
Last time I asked the IRS how many stimulus payments had been made in Florida, I was told they didn't have that information available.
But I've heard from too many people who didn't get their checks yet.
So please, put a comment below if you haven't gotten your check yet. I might email you for some more details.

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My friend Mark has a pretty radical idea: Audit the IRS. He says I should assemble a panel of respected accountants. They should go over this whole rebate situation and figure out if people are getting paid what they should be paid. I can tell from my readers that there's plenty of confusion. And people are still waiting for their checks. But Mark says the IRS charges us interest when we're late with a payment. They should play by the same rules. Pay us interest when the rebates don't arrive on time.

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Wow. I'm amazed at how many of you didn't get your rebates yet.
Hope you read the story I wrote, from your stories, on the front page Friday.
If there's more to tell, more stories of rebates that didn't arrive and the hardships that has caused, please do post them in the comments section below.
If you want to read other people's rebate woes, look at the comments below my May 13 post.

Tax Season, Part Two, the Stimulus Snafu.

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People have pretty strange ideas about taxes and the government. The weird one that is making the rounds is that the economic stimulus rebate checks are actually loans. That they’ll have to be paid back. That you shouldn’t cash the check or even file for it because it’s just money you’ll owe.

It isn’t.

It is actually a credit that Congress has given you against 2008 taxes, the ones you owe this year. To stimulate the economy, Congress passed a law directing the Treasury to send taxpayers (and even non-taxpayers) a check equal to the credit they would have gotten on this year’s taxes. The check was simply to speed things up.

You don’t have to pay it back.

To quote from Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation’s report on the economic stimulus bill: “The checks have no effect on tax returns filed for 2008.”

The report says the rebate is not taxable income to you. If the IRS calculates incorrectly and pays you too much, “the taxpayer is not required to repay that amount to the Treasury.” If the IRS pays you too little, you might claim that amount as a credit against taxes you owe in 2008. It is a refundable credit, so you might get a check next year, too.

You don’t have to pay it back.

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And the money comes.

Without a sound, it’ll start arriving one week from Friday, on May 2.

The first economic stimulus rebate payments will begin to be deposited electronically in bank accounts across the land.

It’s going out by Social Security number. Those whose number ends in 00 to 20 are in the first cut.

I’d love to hear from anyone who gets a rebate. The first in South Florida. Send me a note at hjbrackey@sun-sentinel.com.

What will you do with the money?

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