Legal Aid worker says callers confused about stimulus checks

Legal Aid of North Carolina in New Bern reports there is confusion by some people concerning unclaimed federal stimulus money.

More than $800,000 in stimulus payments has gone unclaimed by about 2,700 people in Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties.

Those people did not file an income tax return, which is required to qualify for the stimulus checks approved by Congress this year.

Stephanie Allen, a paralegal at the New Bern Legal Aid office, said phones calls had flooded the switchboard seeking help finding unclaimed money.

Legal Aid assists with filing the 2007 tax returns - IRS form 10140A.

"We are not here to help folks find unclaimed money," she said.

A joint public awareness effort is under way by the N.C. Budget and Tax Center, AARP and Earned Income Tax Credit-Carolina about the Oct. 15 deadline to file the tax returns.

Meg Gray, policy analyst with the budget and tax center, said the target group is mostly retirees and disabled veterans who normally have not filed income tax because their income is nontaxable from sources such as Social Security and veterans' benefits.

The legislation passed by Congress made the economic stimulus payments available to people who normally have incomes too low to file tax returns, she said.

But the key is filing a return.

The payments are a minimum of $300 per person and $600 for a married couple. People who filed 2007 returns by the April 15 deadline did not have to file additional paperwork.

Statewide, the budget and tax center reported 175,000 people who have not filed for $53 million in unclaimed stimulus payments.

The IRS Web site is www.irs.gov. The toll-free numbers are 1-800-829-1040 and 1-866-234-2942.