More than 68,000 New Jersey low-income families will receive a $500 check in the mail this month if they were not eligible for federal stimulus help and if they file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or ITIN, the New Jersey Department of Treasury announced Friday.
The ITIN Holders Direct Assistance Program, funded with American Rescue Plan money in the state budget, was designed to help people who didn’t receive cash benefits from the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, targeted to undocumented immigrants, people recently leaving incarceration and people experiencing homelessness.
“This program is designed to provide assistance to residents who work hard and pay taxes, and were equally impacted by the pandemic, but have not received similar assistance from the federal government,” said Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. “We are working hard with our partners at [the Department of Human Services] to ensure this much-needed benefit reaches every eligible recipient, particularly those who may not owe taxes, but still need to file a 2021 return in order to receive this benefit.”
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New Jerseyans do not need to apply. The state will send checks to eligible individuals at the address they used to file their 2021 taxes. To receive a check, a person must have filed a New Jersey income tax return in 2021 using an ITIN and have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level.
For example, one person cannot earn more than $25,760, two people can’t make more than $34,840 and a four-person family cannot earn more than $53,000.
Eligible families will receive $500 for each ITIN holder. For example, if a married couple file jointly and claim two dependents, and all four have ITINs, the family will receive $2,000.
New Jersey is sending letters to families that did not file a New Jersey tax return in 2021 but may be eligible based on their 2020 income tax returns. Families that file a 2021 return by April 15, 2023, will still be eligible.
The benefit will not affect eligibility for public benefit programs like Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Familiesor food stamps, said Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman.
For more information, call the customer service line at 609-292-6400 or visit nj.gov/treasury/taxation/itinfaq.shtml. If your address has changed since you filed a 2021 return, visit nj.gov/treasury/taxation/changeaddress.shtml.
For more information in Spanish, visit nj.gov/treasury/taxation/pdf/itin/itinflyerspanish.pdf.
