Millions of disabled and elderly Americans on Supplemental Security Income will get $1,200 stimulus checks without needing to file a tax return, Treasury says

• Millions of people receiving SSI benefits no longer need to file a tax return to get a stimulus payment from the federal government.
• "SSI recipients with no qualifying children do not need to take any action in order to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. The payments will be automatic," Mnuchin said.
• Many people on SSI were at risk of missing out on $1,200 stimulus checks because they don't usually file tax returns.
• The Treasury says their payments will arrive by early May.
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Americans receiving Supplemental Security Income benefits will no longer need to file a tax return to get a stimulus check, the Treasury Department announced on Wednesday.

"SSI recipients with no qualifying children do not need to take any action in order to receive their $1,200 economic impact payment. The payments will be automatic," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a press release.

Mnuchin, though, noted that recipients with qualifying children - under age 17 - should enter their information in an IRS portal to ensure they get an additional $500 for each child they have.

The Treasury said that people on SSI would see the money directly sent to them by early May at the latest through direct deposit, paper check, or Direct Express debit card.

Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio had advocated for the change and he praised the decision in a tweet.

"Glad the IRS is listening to us," he said on Twitter. "People should not have to jump though bureaucratic hoops to get their stimulus checks."

Brown called it "a huge win for SSI beneficiaries."

People receiving Social Security benefits are also set to get the $1,200 stimulus payments.

Individuals earning below $75,000 are set to get the full $1,200 check, but the amount scales down until their eligibility cuts off at $99,000.

The same goes for couples earning up to $150,000, but they no longer qualify for a check if they make above $198,000.

USA Today reported individuals who didn't file taxes because they didn't earn more than $12,000 - around 10 million Americans - were at risk of missing out on the payments. That included many SSI recipients.

The SSI program provides cash assistance to the most vulnerable Americans, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. More than 8 million people rely on SSI, and many tend to be elderly or disabled people who do not qualify for Social Security.

Around 1.2 million kids with disabilities benefit from the program, the CBPP said.

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