Trump administration says more people will automatically receive coronavirus payments

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will automatically receive their coronavirus rebates, expanding the number of people who will not need to file a tax return in order to get their payment.

The Treasury Department and IRS said they expect recipients of SSI — a program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides assistance to elderly, blind and disabled people with little-to-no income — to receive payments of $1,200 no later than early May. Treasury said that people will receive their rebates via direct deposit, debit card or paper checks, as they typically would get their SSI benefits.

“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 news release. Mnuchin encouraged SSI recipients with children to use an online tool on the IRS’s website so that they receive the $500 per child that they are entitled to in addition to the $1,200 per adult.

Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul said in a separate news release that the announcement “is great news for SSI recipients.”

The announcement was praised by lawmakers, who had urged the Trump administration to find a way for SSI recipients to receive their payments automatically.

“This assistance will provide urgently-needed financial relief to those who are struggling to get by as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) said in a statement.

Hassan and other lawmakers have also been urging the administration to automatically issue rebates to people who receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The IRS has said that it has been looking to see if it can automatically provide rebates to those people as well.

Treasury previously announced that recipients of Social Security retirement and disability benefits will automatically receive their rebates.