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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced last month that automatic payments are being sent to roughly one million taxpayers who did not claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax returns. These payments, according to the IRS, were expected to be disbursed throughout December and arrive by late January 2025 “in most cases,” meaning most eligible recipients should receive them by this week or next at the latest. Why are these payments being sent out? The Recovery Rebate Credit was created to provide financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic for individuals who missed or did not receive the full amount of their Economic Impact Payments, commonly known as stimulus checks. While most eligible taxpayers have already claimed their credits, IRS officials identified a significant group that overlooked this benefit. Looking at our internal data, we realized that one million taxpayers overlooked claiming this complex credit when they were actually eligible,” Danny Werfel, commissioner of the IRS, said in a statement in December. “To minimize headaches and get this money to eligible taxpayers, were making these payments automatic, meaning these people will not be required to go through the extensive process of filing an amended return to receive it. How are these payments being disbursed? The payments, which can reach up to $1,400 per individual, will be sent via direct deposit or as a paper check to the address or bank account listed on the recipients 2023 tax return. Those receiving payments will also be notified by letter. If a taxpayers bank account has changed, the funds will be reissued as a check to the updated address on file. Am I eligible for a payment? In total, the IRS estimates approximately $2.4 billion will be distributed through these final payments. Taxpayers who did not file a 2021 return but believe they are eligible have until April 15, 2025, to submit a return and claim the credit. The IRS encourages taxpayers to confirm their eligibility using online resources or by reviewing the credit guidelines on the IRS website. Importantly, if you are eligible for a payment and filed a 2021 return, you don’t not have to do anything. The payments are automatic. The agency has also committed to further outreach during the 2025 tax season to ensure individuals understand other available benefits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and other pandemic-related tax relief. This final round of payments closes the chapter on pandemic stimulus measures, offering a last opportunity for eligible individuals to access unclaimed financial support.
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E-Commerce
Days after a winter storm dropped ice and record-breaking snow, cleanup efforts were underway Thursday in several major Southern cities such as New Orleans, where crews were removing snow the same way they remove trash, drink cups, and plastic beads after Mardi Gras.Temperatures were gradually rising across the U.S. South, bringing hopes that remaining snow and ice would melt away.“We have to be honest with ourselveswe’re from Louisiana, we know crawfish, we know football, but we don’t really know snow and ice and that’s okay,” said Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development spokesperson Daniel Gitlin. “It’s going to go away and we’re better off letting Mother Nature do what she needs to do right now.”Up to 200 miles (320 kilometers) of interstate was expected to remain closed until Friday due to treacherous patches of black ice, Gitlin said. Louisiana has nearly run out of its salt supply after treating roads, he added.In the Big Easy, a private waste management firm has been contracted to repurpose equipment that’s typically used to clean up Mardi Gras beads and cups to clear snow from the streets.IV Waste President Sidney Torres said his company has deployed a 4,000-gallon (15,000-liter) “flusher” truck to spray water on the ground to soften the ice for removal in the historic and festive French Quarter. The truck normally sprays lemon-scented fragrance “to get rid of that funky liquor, urine, puke smell from the night before,” Torres said. “We’re finding new solutions and better techniques to dealing with this.”Arkansas sent Louisiana snowplows, dump trucks, salt spreaders, and other equipment, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said.The snowfall likely broke several records across the region, including in Florida where a preliminary report of 10 inches (25 centimeters) in one town would set a new all-time record for the state, if confirmed.Snow totals reached 3 inches (8 centimeters) this week in Savannah, Georgia, the most that the state’s oldest city has recorded since December 1989.The snow was lighter in metro Atlanta, where the southern suburbs saw more snow and ice than areas north of the city. In Covington, southeast of Atlanta, Jesse Gentes used a flame thrower to deice the roads in his subdivision. In better weather, he typically uses the flame thrower for brush removal, he told WSB-TV.Light freezing rain was forecast Thursday in the port city of Brunswick and surrounding Glynn County, where local officials had imposed an overnight curfew because of icy roads and frigid temperatures. Officials opened three warming stations where people could escape the biting chill, and nearly 4,000 residents of the county were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.South Carolina reported at least one death in the storm. A 71-year-old man died from a medical condition while shoveling snow Thursday morning in Berkeley County, Coroner Darnell Hartwell said. About 3-4 inches (8-10 centimeters) of snow fell in the area, according to the National Weather Service.The snow and ice had staying power and left a mess on the roads in coastal South Carolina. In Charleston, ice that melted and then refroze overnight closed the James Island Connector, a bridge that links the city to its western suburbs. Police said on social media that “while crews are working hard, it is unlikely to reopen soon.”Schools and county offices remained closed as officials in most areas south and east of the state capital, Columbia, asked people to stay home at least one more day.It was a similar story in North Carolina, where slick roads remained a danger to drivers after snow melted and then refroze overnight. Schools were also affected, including in Cumberland County where Fayetteville is located, where the school system announced that students would have an “asynchronous” learning day allowing students to complete assignments at home. Several other school districts operated on a two-hour delay.Some school systems in central and south Alabama remained closed Thursday because of concerns about remaining ice on roads or the possibility of frozen pipes in schools. In coastal Baldwin County, sections of Interstate 65 and Interstate 10 were shut down because of ice.Across the South, airports were gradually recovering from the weather interruption. Nationwide, about 600 flights scheduled to fly into or out of U.S. airports had been canceled by midday Thursdaya marked improvement over previous days when the storm was at its peak, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.com. Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press Writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Makiya Seminera in Raleigh, North Carolina; Sara Cline in Key Largo, Florida; Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed. Jack Brook and Russ Bynum, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
California will spend $2.5 billion to help the Los Angeles area recover from recent deadly wildfires under a relief package signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.Newsom signed the laws after the state Legislature approved them with bipartisan support earlier in the day. The measures include $2.5 billion for the state’s disaster response efforts such as evacuations, sheltering survivors, and removing household hazardous waste. Lawmakers also approved $4 million for local governments to streamline approvals for rebuilding homes, and $1 million to support school districts and help them rebuild facilities.“This is about distilling a sense of hopefulness,” Newsom said at a news conference in Pasadena, a city recovering from one of the destructive fires that ignited earlier this month.The aid won approval a day before President Donald Trump is set to visit California for a look at damage from the blazes. He’s suggested any federal wildfire relief should come with conditions, though congressional Republicans who represent the state have pushed back on that idea. Former President Joe Biden already approved some disaster aid for the region earlier this month.Newsom called lawmakers into a special session in November to prepare for legal battles against Trump ‘s administration. But after major fires broke out around Los Angeles, the governor shifted gears to prioritize fire relief funding. He expanded the focus of the special session to pass the recovery funding under pressure from Republican state lawmakers who said the focus on Trump was misplaced while the state dealt with the disaster.The governor said he hasn’t spoken with Trump about his visit to the state, but that he hopes to work with the president despite their political differences.Republican state Sen. Kelly Seyarto criticized Newsom for not issuing the fire relief funding on his own, but ultimately Seyarto supported the bills.He said in the future, Democrats should do a better job of working with Republicans on crafting legislation for fire response and prevention funding.“We need a plan from all of us to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.The state Senate also approved $25 million Thursday to defend the state against legal challenges by the federal government, along with another $25 million in part for legal groups to defend immigrants facing possible deportation and other threats. The vote fell largely along party lines. The state Assembly would still have to pass the bills before they can reach Newsom’s desk.The largest of the recent Southern California blazes ignited on January 7, ripping through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles and killing 11 people. The Eaton Fire, which broke out the same day near Altadena, has killed 17 people.The region is also now battling the Hughes Fire, which ignited Wednesday north of Los Angeles, spread more than 15 square miles (39 square kilometers), and led to evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people.State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, a Democrat representing the North Coast, said the fires have been “nothing short of devastating.”“But we promise we have your back, and we’re going to get through this,” he said before Newsom signed the aid into law.Newsom’s administration said the state expects to be reimbursed by the federal government for the disaster relief funding.The governor also announced a commitment Thursday by 270 state-chartered banks, credit unions, and lenders to provide mortgage relief to homeowners impacted by fires in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Democrat from Encino and chair of the chamber’s special session budget committee, said his family was ordered to evacuate for six days while firefighters battled the Palisades Fire.The funding the Legislature passed Thursday is “the first of many steps” lawmakers will take to support wildfire survivors and to protect communities from the threat of future blazes, he said.“No community is immune from these wildfires,” Gabriel said. “That’s part of what the tragedy in Los Angeles proved to us.”__Associated Press writer Jaimie Ding in Pasadena, California, contributed to this report.-Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @ sophieadanna Sophie Austin, Associated Press/Report for America
Category:
E-Commerce
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