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In light of yesterday’s news that non-filing taxpayers will need to file a “simple tax return” to receive the 2020 recovery rebate, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) called on tax preparation companies to offer support to non-filers as those individuals seek to receive this crisis assistance.

In a letter to Tim Hugo, Executive Director of the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of tax software companies that provide free online tax preparation and electronic filing assistance, Chairman Neal urged the group to make simplified tax forms and filing assistance available to aid filers and non-filers in receiving the recovery rebate. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) authorized the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to distribute recovery rebates up to $1200 per adult, providing much-needed assistance to millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Yesterday, the IRS alerted taxpayers who typically do not file a return that they will need to file a ‘simple tax return’ to receive the rebate,” wrote Chairman Neal. “I am concerned that the preparation of this form and the filing process will be confusing for non-filers, many of whom are unaccustomed to preparing yearly tax filings and have vision or cognitive challenges."

“I believe that free tax preparation assistance can go a long way in easing the burden on non-filers who may need to file a return and helping our country during this pandemic,” continued the Chairman. “Accordingly, I urge the Free File Alliance to work with the IRS to provide a ‘simplified tax form’ and filing assistance through the Free File program to non-filers who are entitled to receive a recovery rebate.”

The full letter is available HERE.

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