April 1, 2020
The Honorable Steven T. Mnuchin
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20220

The Honorable Andrew Saul
Social Security Administration
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21235

Dear Secretary Mnuchin and Commissioner Saul:
The COVID-19 public health emergency is taking a massive economic toll on families across the
country. To provide immediate financial assistance to struggling individuals during this crisis,
Congress passed and the President signed the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act. This legislation directly provides most Americans with stimulus
payments to help cover necessary personal expenses.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will automatically send stimulus payments to eligible
taxpayers who filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return. However, many Social Security beneficiaries,
including retired seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, typically do not file tax
returns. To ensure that these vulnerable individuals automatically receive stimulus payments, the
CARES Act explicitly provides the Treasury Department with the authority to provide payments
to seniors receiving Social Security retirement benefits and to individuals receiving Social
Security disability benefits, even if these individuals do not file tax returns. 1
Unfortunately, on March 30, the IRS published guidance indicating that the agency may require
recipients of Social Security retirement and disability benefits to file 2019 tax returns to receive
stimulus payments. 2 This filing requirement would place a significant burden on retired seniors
and individuals who experience disabilities, especially given the current unavailability of tax
filing assistance from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly
programs during the COVID-19 crisis.
Along with colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee, 3 we strongly urge you to
ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and
individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return.

1

Public Law 116-136, § 2201. Rather than a 2018 or 2019 tax return, the IRS can base stimulus payments on a Form
SSA-1099, the Social Security Benefit Statement, or a Form RRB-1099, which is the equivalent of the Social
Security statement for Railroad Employees.
2
Internal Revenue Service. “Economic impact payments: What you need to know.”
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know
3
House Ways and Means Committee. “Chairman Neal Calls For Seniors To Receive Economic Impact Payments
Automatically, Without Filing An Additional Return.” https://waysandmeans.house.gov/media-center/pressreleases/chairman-neal-calls-seniors-receive-economic-impact-payments

 Sincerely,

Senator Margaret Wood Hassan
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Senator Charles E. Schumer
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
Senator Thomas R. Carper
Senator Michael F. Bennet
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin
Senator Mark R. Warner
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Richard J. Durbin
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Senator Richard Blumenthal
Senator Jacky Rosen
Senator Doug Jones
Senator Jack Reed
Senator Amy Klobuchar
Senator Edward J. Markey
Senator Gary C. Peters
Senator Tim Kaine
Senator Martin Heinrich
Senator Bernard Sanders
Senator Mazie K. Hirono
Senator Tom Udall
Senator Chris Van Hollen
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Senator Tammy Baldwin
Senator Angus S. King, Jr.
Senator Tina Smith
Senator Christopher A. Coons
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Senator Kyrsten Sinema
Senator Cory A. Booker
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator Christopher S. Murphy

2