yep.. I had heard wrong.. I went to the gov site and found out.. it is a little complex but... everyone who filed and paid taxes gets $600 to start with so long as their adjusted gross was $75k or less..
after that you get less all the way down to $300 which is the minimum.. each child is worth $300
"Basic Amount of Payment: Taxpayers who had a net income tax liability will receive a payment, unless they can be claimed as dependents on someone else’s return, are high-income individuals or do not have a valid Social Security Number. The payment is equal to the taxpayer’s net income tax liability, but no more than $600 for a single person or $1,200 for a married couple filing a joint return. The minimum payment is $300 for a single person or $600 for a married couple filing jointly.
People with no net income tax liability will usually get a minimum payment of $300 for a single person or $600 for a married couple filing jointly, as long as they have qualifying income of at least $3,000. To figure your qualifying income, add together the following amounts:
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Wages that are reported on Form W-2.
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Net self-employment income.
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Social Security benefits reported in box 5 of the 2007 Form 1099-SSA, which would have been received in January 2008. People who do not have a Form 1099-SSA may estimate their annual Social Security benefit by taking their monthly benefit and multiplying it by the number of months during the year they received the benefit.
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Certain Railroad Retirement benefits reported in box 5 of the 2007 Form 1099-RRB, which recipients would have received in January 2008.
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Veterans’ benefits received in 2007, including veterans’ disability compensation and pension or survivors’ benefits received from the Department of Veterans Affairs. People who weren’t required to file a tax return can estimate their annual veterans’ benefits by taking their monthly benefit and multiplying it by the number of months during the year they received the benefit.
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Nontaxable combat pay if the taxpayer elects to include it as earned income.
Extra Money for Qualifying Child: Eligible taxpayers who qualify for a payment may receive an additional $300 for each qualifying child. To qualify a child must be under age 17.
Phase Out: The stimulus payment –– both the basic component and the additional funds for qualifying children –– begins to phase out for individuals with adjusted gross incomes (AGI) over $75,000 and married couples who file a joint return with AGI over $150,000. The combined payment is reduced by 5 percent of the income above the AGI thresholds.
Here are two examples of how the phase out works:
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An individual with AGI of $80,000 and federal income tax liability in excess of $600 would qualify for a basic rebate of $600. Because this individual’s AGI exceeds $75,000, however, her rebate is reduced by $250 (the credit is reduced by multiplying the amount of AGI over $75,000 by 5%). The taxpayer receives an economic stimulus payment of $350.
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A married couple with two children, AGI of $160,000 and federal income tax liability before the child tax credit exceeding $1,200 qualifies for a basic rebate of $1,200 and an additional qualifying child credit of $600 for a total rebate of $1,800. But because the couple’s AGI exceeds $150,000, their rebate is reduced by $500 (the amount of AGI over $150,000 multiplied by 5%). The couple receives an economic stimulus payment of $1,300."
lazs