A late rush for stimulus checks

Thousands eligible who have yet to file returns; Many are veterans, low-earning retirees

Nashila Somani (left) of Action for Boston Community Development Inc. helped Carmen Feliciano of Roxbury fill out her income tax paperwork in order to receive her stimulus check. (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff)

More than 150,000 Massachusetts residents, mostly low-income retirees and disabled veterans, have yet to file paperwork to receive federal economic stimulus checks worth as much as $600, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

The IRS and local community groups say they are working overtime to help those eligible for the money fill out two-page tax forms in time to receive payments by the end of the year. Under the program, anyone who filed a 2007 federal tax return was automatically considered for a rebate. But many low-wage workers and recipients of Social Security and veterans benefits did not submit tax returns because their incomes were not high enough to require it or their benefits are not normally taxable.

Peggy Riley, a spokeswoman for the IRS in New England, said Oct. 15 is the cutoff date for filing to ensure that checks are mailed by the end of the year. Low-income residents who earned at least $3,000 last year qualify for individual payments of $300; those who file jointly can receive $600.

"All they really need to do is file that return so they can get their money," Riley said.

Carmen Feliciano, 64, was among the nonfilers. But with assistance from staff at Action for Boston Community Development Inc., an antipoverty nonprofit agency, the Roxbury resident was able to complete a federal 1040A tax form in just 10 minutes on Thursday. Feliciano, who sought help at the nonprofit's Parker Hill/Fenway Neighborhood Service Center, is so strapped for cash that last week the electricity was shut off at her apartment. The $300 she could receive is "the amount she may need to get her lights turned on," said Nashila Somani, tax program coordinator at the center.

ABCD has 12 other sites throughout the city that are manned by volunteers who can help people fill out basic tax forms.

In Massachusetts, about 443,000 recipients of Social Security and veterans benefits were deemed eligible for rebates. About 292,000 of them had filed as of June. Nationwide, about 5.2 million people eligible had yet to file.

The rebates are part of $168 billion economic stimulus package signed into law in February by President Bush. As part of congressional negotiations, money was included for those whose incomes are so low that they do not have to submit federal tax returns.

The IRS and local groups, including the Massachusetts branch of the AARP, say they are attempting to raise awareness about the benefits of filing a 1040A form. In March, AARP sent alerts out to its 30 chapters throughout the state to inform members how to apply for a rebate. A link to a step-by-step filing process is available at www.aarp.org/stimulus. Also, senior center directors throughout the state have stockpiled the tax forms, which take less than half an hour to fill out, said Kara Cohen, director of community service for AARP Massachusetts.

And from the end of this month through the middle of September, the Boston Housing Authority plans to send out mailings and leaflets to let residents know they can still receive a stimulus check.

"It's very important that people take full advantage of this rebate," said Rachel Goodman, director of the housing authority's community services department.

The Boston Elderly Commission is working with senior advocate groups to get the word out about the benefits and help people fill out forms "on the spot," said Eliza Greenberg, head of the commission.

In Falmouth, retiree Florence Keras, 84, said she heard about the stimulus package at her local senior center. But without the assistance of an AARP volunteer in March, Keras said, she could not have completed the tax form and would not have received a $300 check. "The volunteer was wonderful, she said. "I was very happy with my results."

John Lawlor, a retiree who volunteers at the Lowell Senior Center, said tax forms can be confusing for seniors who have not filled one out in many years. For example, he said, some fail to multiply their monthly Social Security payments by 12 to account for a year's worth of income. Another common mistake is to record benefits in the wrong place on the form.

"It's just an unfamiliarity [with] the form itself or in the haste of trying to apply for and get" the rebate, said Lawlor who offers seniors assistance through Community Teamwork Inc., a nonprofit agency in Lowell.

AARP's Cohen said the people who still haven't applied for federal payments need them the most, particularly because of rising food and energy costs. Some have had to cut back on medications or put off paying bills, she said, and others may even be forced to delay planned retirements, she said.

"With the winter we're facing, the economic stimulus can really make a difference for people," Cohen said.

Elizabeth Campbell can be reached at ecampbell@globe.com.