The IRS is now acknowledging their error in sending $1200 stimulus checks overseas to non-Americans, and says it could happen again.
When reports of the errors first surfaced, the IRS said many noncitizens erroneously received stimulus checks because they had filed incorrect tax returns that made them appear to be American.
But many non-citizens received the stimulus checks and do not file US tax returns at all.
Susanne Wigforss, a 78-year-old Swedish citizen who lives in Stockholm, was very surprised when she got a check and a letter from Trump addressed to “My Fellow Americans.”
Only U.S. citizens and U.S. “resident aliens” are eligible for stimulus money — “resident alien” is a federal tax classification, and to qualify an individual needs a green card or must have been in the U.S. for a certain amount of time — and Wigforss is neither.
Asked about this by NPR, the IRS acknowledged it mistakenly sent checks to some noncitizens who receive Social Security and other federal benefits — such as Wigforss, who receives a small Social Security payment from having worked in California for several years.
Complete story is at NPR.