An IRS spokesman warns 737 retirees and disabled veterans in Newton County who may be eligible for an economic stimulus payment have until Oct. 15 to file a 2007 tax return.

Michael Divine, a spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service office in St. Louis, said people who have any combination of earned income, non-taxable combat pay, as well as certain payments from Social Security, Veteran’s Affairs and railroad retirement should file a tax return, but added Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was not eligible.

“People not otherwise required to file an income tax return should file Form 1040 A with basic information to ensure they receive the economic stimulus payment,” Divine said. “This information includes name; address; dependents, if any; amount of qualifying income; direct deposit information and signatures.”

The forms and instructions are available at www.irs.gov.

In Missouri, Divine said, there are nearly 83,000 potential recipients who could receive up to $600, or up to $1,200 for married couples filing joint returns. For people who have no tax liability or no tax filing requirement who have at least $3,000 qualifying income, there is a minimum payment of $300 for individuals, $600 for married couples and $300 per qualifying child.

Divine said all eligible persons, including qualifying children, must have Social Security numbers.
Also, people cannot be claimed or be eligible to be claimed as a dependent on another person’s tax return.