Since approval of the CARES Act and announcement about stimulus checks in early April, many have been asking when local taxpayers will receive their checks and whether the checks will be disbursed through ASG.
The stimulus funding provides $1200 rebates to individuals with under $75,000 in income–less for those making more, up to $99,000 and $500 to children 17 and under.
The Chairman of the Coronavirus Task Force Iulogologo Joseph Pereira provided the following responses concerning the stimulus checks.
Q: Will local residents get their stimulus checks through ASG or will they receive them direct from US Treasury?
A: Yes, local eligible taxpayers will receive their stimulus funding from ASG. There may be instances where a local resident received their stimulus payment directly from US Treasury but the vast majority will receive their checks from ASG.
Q: Who qualifies, just US nationals and US citizens or all taxpayers who filed taxes through ASG?
A: Currently, official residents and taxpayers residing in American Samoa are eligible for the CARES Act stimulus funding. This includes citizens, Nationals and legal Alien residents. Please note, we receive daily updates from our IRS/USDOT counterparts that may change the eligibility of recipients but as of this email, they are eligible.
Q: If ASG is disbursing this money, what is the process for disbursement?
A: We have submitted our Territorial implementation plan and estimates to be
disbursed. This was submitted on April 14, 2020. IRS/USDOT is reviewing ASG estimates at this time, but we hope to have a final approved estimate by this Friday. In the meantime, US Treasury is going through ASG implementation plan and ensuring all preparations are in place to begin processing as soon as the funds are available.
The easiest way is to think of the stimulus funding like ACTC, Additional Child Tax Credit funding. We submit to the IRS, they review and once approved, they wire the funds and we disburse tax refund checks. The difference is this would be like 2 1/2 years of tax refunds disbursed on the same day.
Q: Will ASG keep part of the money?
A: No, eligibility is the same in American Samoa as it is in the Mainland. Same income restrictions and dependent requirements. There is considerable misinformation and confusion, the Tax Office has a public awareness campaign to help answer these questions.
