What To Do About A Lost COVID-19 Stimulus Payment

What To Do About A Lost COVID-19 Stimulus Payment


The material in this post is not guaranteed to help you rescue your stimulus payment from the bit bucket or thieves or whatever oblivion it may have fallen in to. The IRS sends these checks through normal mail not registered mail so we can expect a good number of them to disappear. 

You can find a lot of information on the IRS website.

NOTE: If the IRS DID NOT send your check then you may be able to claim your stimulus payment as a credit on your taxes. The information described below applies to you only if the IRS DID SEND your check but you did not receive it. 

Table Of Contents


UPDATES

I have $8900 that I would not have had I not followed the procedures detailed below. I highly recommend doing the same for anyone who is hesitant about the process. 

July 2020

I Faxed off my Form 3911. I do not know if LBC is operating right now or to what degree they are operational, but that is the method I would use if I had not faxed the doc. LBC will run you about $30, but ordinary postal mail would never make it to the destination. I used an Internet fax company to fax my form. I have used the same company for about ten years and it cost me $0.00 (hint) for the service and works like a charm every time. Do your own research to pick a free fax company. I have ZERO confidence that I will ever see any payout from the IRS. Pity...it would have been $2900 in my case.  

August 2020

Not sure if this is good news yet or not, but it is big news. 

I have been checking the Get My Payment website regularly not expecting anything to have changed. Then today I was greeted with this:


If you log in and click that button this will be the next screen:

I entered my data and the page threw an error that it did not match their records.

I had entered my AGI for 2019 the first time, so I tried my AGI for 2018 and it worked. 

This is the screen you get if you succeed in entering your bank info:


 Notice on the first image that the screen says "any future payment," so this issue of the first payment is still not resolved. I need to make a call to follow up, as it has been six weeks since I faxed the 3911.
 
I am not looking forward to that call.  
 
September 2020
 
I called the IRS and told the rep that my check never arrived and that I sent Form 3911 to the IRS three months ago. She said "OK sir, I will transfer you to someone who will help you with that." I was transferred to a recorded message, "We are sorry, but we are not able to take your call at this time due to extremely high call volume...."
 
October 2020
 
I decided to give this one last chance today. I called the EIP hotline again (800-919-9835) and had what at this point I am willing to count as success. The first person I spoke with took my info and transferred me to a specialist. The specialist told me that they were virtually shut down until August so any 3911 sent before then might be...who knows where. The specialist took my information over the phone and filled out a new trace for me. Normally, they require joint filers to fill out the hard copy and fax or mail it in, but the supervisor gave permission to complete the process over the phone. The specialist told me that in 4-6 weeks I would receive either a new check or a packet if the check had been endorsed (as described below). So another waiting game for now.They have my US address on file and they cannot direct deposit it, so it will be another check. I intend to call the local bank where I opened my account and ask them to do me a favor and let me have my mail service mail it to them so they can deposit it. If they cannot do that, the mobile deposit is another option.

NOTICE This is my opinion, but I think it is rooted in fact given the fact that the IRS told me that they cannot direct deposit the check that will be resent. You MUST have a US mailing address for the check to be sent to or else it will just be lost again. Get busy and find a reliable mail forwarding service for yourself if you have not already done so.
 
Give it a shot if you are still waiting.  
 
the call took 47 minutes FYI 
 
November 2020
 
Three  weeks after I called the IRS the money was deposited into my bank account. The agent I had spoken with had told me that the it could not be direct deposited, but fortunately it was.
 
January 2021: Second Round of Checks 
 
The second round of checks started going out in the first week of January 2021. These were for $600. 
 
March 2021: Third Round of Checks 
 
In March 2021 Congress passed legislation containing the third stimulus check. The Senate Parliamentarian did not allow the provision in the legislation creating a $15 per hour minimum wage, stating that it did not meet the rules for budget reconciliation.

The third round of checks began going out in the third week of march, this time for $1400 per individual and each dependent.

Another important provision within that law is expansion of the child tax credit. The previous CTC was $2000. The full $2000 reduces tax liability on a dollar for dollar basis. The refundable portion of the existing credit is up to $1400 after tax liability has been met. The maximum refundable portion in 15% of earned income above $2500. 

The new legislation does away with the earned income requirement and makes the entire credit refundable. The credit is expanded to $3600 for children under 6 and $3000 for children 6 and above, but under 17. Additionally, the credit will be deposited by monthly payments beginning in July 2021. 

I hate socialism, but I say take this money and use it while you can. Use it to prepare, which you should be doing already. No one can look at the national debt, the deficit, the unfunded liabilities, the state of the economies and everything else and not see that we are at the door step of something terrible.

So take the money and use it according to your best judgement. When the government is spending money like there is no tomorrow it might just be because they have intel to that effect. 

Using The IRS Get My Payment Tool 


The following applies only if you already submitted a 2019 tax return. If you did not, then you can still use the non-filers tool.

If you do not have a US bank account then you may be out of luck for direct deposit. The IRS can’t direct deposit money to a foreign account, according to an attorney at the FTC website.

The IRS has done some work on the Get My Payment tool and will now accept the four digit Philippines postal code.

 Enter your Social Security #

 Enter your birth date

 The system will also accept the information of whomever you filed jointly with (I tried it and it works).

When you enter your address it must be exactly as you entered it in your latest tax return.

Then enter your postal code and press enter (and pray that it works).

 You may get the message that a check was already sent to your address in which case you will not be able to enter direct deposit information.

Call The IRS EIP Hotline


You can call the IRS Economic Impact Payment Hotline at 800-919-9835. 

 You will find that number on the official IRS website.

The wait for a live person may be very long and you will most likely be directed to do one of the things listed below.

If you do call the IRS please be very patient with them. The people at the IRS who are taking calls are not responsible for whatever hardships you may be having. The IRS has undergone simultaneous budget cuts and workload increases, so be understanding with anyone you talk to at the agency.

Was Your Check Returned To The IRS?


The IRS website Stimulus Payment Faq Page under "Payment Status: My payment was mailed weeks ago, but the Post Office was unable to deliver it. What should I do?" this note was added on May 28:
If you have not received your payment within 14 days of the payment date, check Get My Payment periodically. If the IRS receives your payment back because the Post Office was unable to deliver it, we will update your payment status to “Need More Information,” at which point you will be able to enter your bank account information.If you don’t provide your bank account information, the IRS will hold your Economic Impact Payment until we receive your updated address. To update your address please see: Address changes

Form 3911


IRS added this note on June 9 regarding lost payments:
Get My Payment shows that my Payment was issued but I never received it. How do I get a new one? (added June 9, 2020)
If Get My Payment shows your Payment was issued but you have not received it and it has been more than 5 days since the scheduled deposit date (or more than 4 weeks since it was mailed by check (6 weeks if you have a forwarding address on file with the local post office; 9 weeks if you have a foreign address)), you should initiate a trace on your Payment by calling the IRS at 800-919-9835 or you may submit Form 3911. 
 
If you call, please be advised that you may experience long wait times or recorded assistance due to limited staffing. If you submit the form and you are Married Filing Joint, both spouses must sign the form.
 
Note: If a direct deposit, check with your bank before initiating a trace to verify they did not receive the deposit. Do not request a Payment trace if you are trying to determine eligibility for the Payment or the amount of Payment you should have received. You must have been issued Notice 1444 or received a payment date from Get My Payment to perform a trace.

Your claim for a missing Payment is processed one of two ways:
  • If the check wasn't cashed, you'll receive a replacement check once the original check is canceled.
Note: If you find the original check and receive a replacement, you MUST return the original as soon as possible.
  • If the refund check was cashed, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS) will provide you with a claim package that includes a copy of the cashed check. Follow the instructions for completing the claim package. BFS will review your claim and the signature on the canceled check before determining whether they can issue you a replacement check.
According to the first paragraph that you should not initiate a trace until 9 weeks have passed (if you have a foreign address) from the date of payment shown in Get My Payment. The first checks were sent out on April 24, so no one should initiate a trace until June 26 at the very earliest.

 The process may take several months especially for expats.

How To Fill Out The Form? 


Form 3911 is supposed to for reporting a lost/stolen refund check, so it does not exactly fit the stimulus payment. The advice from the IRS is to fill it out the best you can.

The following is my best guess at filling out Form 3911: 

If you submit the form and you are Married Filing Jointly, both spouses must sign the form

Write “EIP” on the top of the form and complete Sections I, II and III. 

For "in reply to your inquiry on" you can enter the date you contacted the IRS or just the date you downloaded the form.

 For "about your Federal tax return for" you can enter "2020 EIP".

 For "We sent you the following refund(s)" enter the amount of the stimulus payment in the first space (if known).

 In the last line you can enter the date that the check or direct deposit was scheduled if you know it. The Get My Payment tool may show you this information or you may find out from alive person if you call the IRS.

 Mark whether it was a check or a direct deposit.

 "The U.S. Postal Service returned your check because they could not deliver it" - check it if you know for a fact that this happened, otherwise leave it blank.

 "Your check was not cashed within one year of the issue date as the law requires and it can no longer be cashed." does not apply.

 "If you did not receive the refund check, or if you received it and it was lost, stolen or destroyed, please complete Sections I, II and III." this is why you came here so check it and move to Section I.

 Section I 

Fill out Section I with your information and that of your spouse if you filed joint.

If you are like me and your address changed since you filed, then enter CURRENT ADDRESS here and the address you entered on your return will be entered as shown below.


Make certain that you enter the address exactly as it is on the return.

When completing Number 7 under Section I, check the box for “Individual” as the Type of return and enter “2020” as the tax period and leave the date filed blank. I would leave "Type of refund requested" blank.

Section II

For #8 I would check "I didn’t receive a refund," and then skip to #11 to enter bank information. #11 does not ask for a routing number, but I would enter one just the same along with the account number. 

 I would sign off Section III and skip Section IV as it does not apply to a check that I have never seen and for which the IRS can provide me no information.

I intend to include a cover letter with the form explaining all of the details.

Again, we are just taking a shot here. There is no guarantee that this will work, but it is the best option that some people may have at this point. I am going to try it. I intent to send the form through LBC to make sure that it gets to the IRS and fast. This will cost about $30.

 The form is to be mailed to the "Internal Revenue Service center where you would normally file a paper tax return." To get the precise answer for exactly where to mail your form you need to go to the IRS website and click the state you entered on your last return or click International. Next click the type of form you used last time around and that should take you to the proper mailing address. For an expat who filed a 1040 that address is:
Department of the Treasury
 Internal Revenue Service
 Austin, TX 73301-0215
 USA
On June 19 the IRS updated instructions for submitting Form 3911. 
  • You may now fax the completed form (855-203-7538 if you live in a foreign country).
Even though you put your bank information on the form you may still receive any payment via Economic Impact Payment (EIP) Card (see below). 

Economic Impact Payment (EIP) Cards


The IRS website has added this note about debit cards to its EIP information page:
Mailed Check Payments May Be Sent As Debit Cards. If the Get My Payment application says you’re receiving a check, your Payment may come as a debit card. Debit card Payments come in a plain envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services."For more information, see Prepaid Debit Cards.
This FAQ was added on June 4 in regard to EIP cards:
A48. Individuals who have lost or destroyed their EIP Card may request a free replacement through MetaBank® Customer Service. The standard fee of $7.50 will be waived for the first reissuance of any EIP Card. Any initial reissuance fee charged to a customer from an earlier date will be reversed. Individuals do not need to know their card number to request a replacement. Individuals may request a replacement by phone at 800-240-8100 (option 2 from main menu).The Economic Impact Payment Card is sponsored by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, managed by Money Network Financial, LLC and issued by Treasury’s financial agent, MetaBank®, N.A. If you receive an Economic Impact Payment Card, it will arrive in a plain envelope from “Money Network Cardholder Services.” The Visa name will appear on the front of the Card; the back of the Card has the name of the issuing bank, MetaBank®, N.A. Information included with the Card will explain that the card is your Economic Impact Payment Card. Please go to EIPcard.com for more information and additional FAQs. 
If you call 800-240-8100,then after language selection you can select #1 for card activation or to speak with customer service. You will not be able to speak with customer service without a card number. 

 For a lost or stolen card you will select #2 after language selection. You will then be asked for the last six digits of your social security #. You will then be asked for your zip code. I do not know if this did not work for me because I do not have a card or if they are having the same problem with nonstandard postal codes that the IRS initially experienced.

You can google the card or read about it here: https://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/taxes/T054-S001-stimulus-check-payments-by-prepaid-debit-card/index.html

The cards are provided by Meta Bank.

There are fees for some services offered by the cards, but you can have all funds transferred to your bank account at no charge. 

 As an expat you may wish to have to have the card sent to your US mail forwarding address. If this is the case then you should have entered that as the first address on the Form 3911.

 It is possible that the mail forwarding company can scan the card and your pin, then you can register for an account on the EIP Card site and transfer the balance of the card to your bank account.

Changing Your IRS Mailing Address


See the IRS website for instructions.

The Bottom Line 


I hope that this page can help you to recover your lost payment. 

The worst case is that someone stole and cashed your check or EIP card in which case you will need to follow the instructions for Form 3911 above and complete the claim package that the BFS will send you. Their graphologists are some of the best in the field and they will be able to determine if your handwriting matches the signature on the cashed check. Using this and other tools they will make a determination as to whether to grant you another check. I do not know how long the entire process takes, but I can see it ranging from six months to a year or even more. But eventually, if all goes well, you may get your payment.

 It is worth your time to go through this process.


Resetting The Waste Ink Counter On Epson L120

Resetting The Waste Ink Counter On Epson L120

 


Whether you are an expat or not you should be printing your sensitive documents on you own equipment not at the print shop local or the Internet cafe. I found the best value to be the Epson L120 ink tank printer. It cost me 4900PHP years ago and has functioned flawlessly and cost me next to nothing to operate over the years. 

Then I started receiving the troubling notice that the waste ink pad was near end of life.

In searching for a solution for this I ran across and lot of information that did not help me and a few malicious websites that were trying to pass off trojans as counter resetting software.

There may be a way to reset an L120 manually, but until I can find it I have a great little free tool called the Epson Adjustment Program from Nosware.  

There are some sites out there purporting to offer this software when what they are actually distributing is some kind of malicious program. One site presented the files in a .rar and when I attempted to scan the compressed package at VirusTotal it could not see into the individual files. I was curious and dumb enough to download it anyway. I then opened it and uploaded the individual files to VirusTotal. It turned out to be some kind of porn trojan. 

The files at Nosware come in a .zip and they are virus free. But do not take my word for it. Scan them yourself by whatever means you are comfortable with.

When you get the zip open extract it, click the .exe and then click on "particular adjustment mode":

On the next page select "waste ink pad counter" and click ok:

I reset my counter before I thought of making this post, so that is why it is at only 120 (below). 

To check the level of your counter tick "main pad counter" and click "check":

When you are ready to reset the counter tick "main pad counter" again and click "initialize"

Click ok on the resulting dialogue box:

The next dialogue box will instruct you to turn off the printer, so do that and then click ok:

You will get a final dialogue box telling you to reboot the printer and after you do that you will see that the counter is now 0%:

There is still one very important task. You now have to replace the ink pad. I reset my counter before doing that because I had an emergency print job and it is not like a few more jobs will make a difference. 

It's not like the waste ink is sloshing around in there (you will see what I mean when you open up your printer).

You should be able to find a new ink pad at either Shopee or Lazada for about 200PHP and that includes the delivery charge. 

This will get messy so do have paper towels on hand. The ink will soak through them too if you are not careful, especially when  you remove the pad from its plastic enclosure.

There are instructions on the net for the L120 that show a little window on the back of the printer that can be opened. That does not apply to the L120s made in the Philippines (at least not the one I have).

You will see a screw on the back of the printer near the center at the bottom:

I put that screw in the pad enclosure after removing it so the screw would not get lost:

To extract the enclosure, make sure the bottom is supported and then remove the screw.

With your hand on the bottom of the enclosure gently push to the right and it should pull right out.

You can feel around the bottom of the enclosure to get a grip on it to gently pull it down after shifting it to the right.

This is the bottom of the printer with the enclosure already removed and the red arrow indicates the right hand direction:

The new and old pads side by side:

A perfect fit:

Slap it back in, slide it to the left, replace the screw and the printer should work like new.

Mine did.

 

Awesome US Passport Renewal News

Awesome US Passport Renewal News

 

From the US Embassy

Beginning Monday, April 19, 2021, the U.S. Embassy and Consular Agency in the Philippines will begin accepting online fee payments for adult U.S. passport renewal applications. 

Paying online allows you to mail your application to the U.S. Embassy in Manila without the need to apply in person.  Please see our passport renewal webpage for more information and to determine if you are eligible for online fee payment.  If eligible, you will be able to submit payment via U.S. or international credit or debit card, electronic funds transfer from a U.S.-based bank account, Amazon Pay, or Pay Pal.

 

Is Yoga Compatible With Christianity?

Is Yoga Compatible With Christianity?

 

Jer 10:2  Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
The verse above is not speaking only about astrology, but all of the religious practices of all of the pagan religions. It is difficult to adhere to this verse in our modern world because so many little devils have woven so many pagan practices into Judaeo Christian culture.

There can be no doubt that yoga is a religious practice that leads to a specific religion that is counter to Christianity:

To deny that yoga is religion and that this religion is Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma is the perpetuate an illusion. True, we have to fault many of the Hindu yoga teachers for not clearing up this matter years ago. In many cases, this illusion may have been (unconsciously) naively perpetuated, while in other cases, money was, and is, a motivating factor.
If the Hindu-yoga connection is made, then the teacher (not necessarily the student) must be a Hindu. Anyone who so desires can become a Hindu. This represents real commitment. Obviously many non-Hindu "yoga teachers" have made other formal religious commitments which they simply walked away from. Subsequently, not to inform students of the yoga-Hindu connection is to demonstrate a disregard for any previous religious commitments that they  have made. The careless handling of students' psyches (invariably "yoga teachers" present meditation, the Hindu metaphysical study of kundalini, and the chakras, as well as counsel students) has often resulted in more confusion, emotional upheavals and, sometimes, feelings of guilt over the student's previous religious commitments. Yoga Journal May-June 1996 p. 9

It is plainly stated by Yoga Journal that the practice of yoga is part of the Hindu Religion. Many do deny it, some for monetary reasons, as stated above. Some deny it to deliberately lead Christians into apostasy. 

The excerpt above mentions "kundalini":

The concept of Kuṇḍalinī is mentioned in the Upanishads (9th – 7th centuries BCE). The Sanskrit adjective kuṇḍalin means "circular, annular". It is mentioned as a noun for "snake" (in the sense of "coiled") in the 12th-century Rajatarangini chronicle (I.2). Kuṇḍa (a noun meaning "bowl, water-pot" is found as the name of a Nāga (serpent deity) in Mahabharata 1.4828).

Kundalini is a Hindu serpent diety that offers illumination. 

Where have we heard this story before: 

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3  But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5  For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 ¶  And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Does it get any more obvious than this?

Those who experience "kundalini awakening" perceive it as an awakening of the self. They become their own god. 

YE SHALL BE AS GODS 

The son of the late L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology) stated in an interview with Penthouse magazine that his father did not worship Satan, but rather he believed that he had become Satan.

The Scientology process of "going clear" shares a lot of ground with the mystical self actualization of kundalini awakening and tapping into the Akashic record. Hubbard was heavily influenced by Theosophy and likewise, Theosophy draws heavily from Buddhism and Hinduism. It's a circle.

I am not the only one who sees the influence of Theosophy in Maslow's work, as it relates to self actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs. I was taught the Maslow garbage in college. Colleges and universities (12-step programs too) never disclose to students that they are soft initiating you into Theosophy, the O.T.O. or Golden Dawn when they bathe your mind in material that came from PhDs who were adherents to that sewage. What all of these things really add up to is Alice Bailey's hierarchy being externalized. I wonder if you can see where this leads.


The societal boom in kundalini self actualization practices from the late 19th century onward (and before that) fueled the rise of our modern world. 

From the Nazis in the west to the yogis in the east it's all the same Babylon. And they all share the same roots.

MANY SHALL RUN TO AND FRO AND KNOWLEDGE SHALL BE INCREASED


The word yogananda means union with god through yoga. As Christians we know that our union with God comes through Jesus Christ restoring us to God through our faith in his death, burial and resurrection and through his blood that was shed at Calvary for our sin. 

As such, with yoga being thought of as a means of creating union between you and god, yoga is a replacement for Jesus Christ. Understand that this is the very definition of anti-Christ.

Yoga cannot and will not restore you to God. Yoga can and will connect you to the god of this world, Satan. Many self proclaimed Christians are practicing yoga today. Pastors who are ravenous wolves are promoting it to their flocks. 

Many will reject this message because they are vessels fitted to destruction.  

You cannot mix paganism with Christianity and still call the admixture Christianity. It's like this: if I put only a drop or two of raw sewage into your delicious and refreshing iced tea would you still want to drink it? You would probably not even notice if no one told you. But your insides would know it and you would be sick as a dog in not too many hours. It works the same way with mixing pagan practices with Christianity. 

You see, people, all of these diverse practices and religions have their root in the same thing. They all lead you away from Christ and toward Satan.

Now is the time to humble yourself and come out of these deceptions of Babylon...while you still can.

But it is very very difficult for a self actualized, kundalini awakened, "clear" person to humble themselves. For that matter, even Joe the plumber has difficulty doing it...these days.