AUBURN – A day after Claire and Robert LeVasseur complained that their $40 economic stimulus check was “an insult,” the Auburn couple discovered the money wasn’t actually meant to be their stimulus check.

It was a little-known telephone tax refund.

Experts say the confusion is understandable. The federal checks are mailed separately, are being issued at about the same time, and neither the telephone tax refund nor the economic stimulus check say what they are. Even IRS representatives couldn’t explain the $40.

But at least one local seniors’ advocate is concerned retirees now won’t bother applying for economic stimulus money because they believe they’ll only get $40 – not the $300 that most are actually eligible for. Retirees have until Oct. 15 to file for the money.

“It’s really kind of confusing. Let’s put it this way, confusing if somebody doesn’t handle finances in the family. All of the sudden they’re getting a letter: fill out this form. And they’ve got two pages of instructions on what to do,” said Dick Moore, a retired banker who’s worked with Seniors Plus, AARP and the Lewiston-Auburn Tax Credit Awareness Coalition to help people fill out their taxes.

In order to get an economic stimulus check, a person must have earned at least $3,000 in 2007 and must file a 2007 tax return. Although many taxpayers are slated to get $600 each and $300 for each qualifying child, there are many reasons why people will get a lower amount. Some owe back taxes, child support or federal student loans. Some earn too much. Others earn too little.

Area retirees typically earn too little to get the $600-a-person maximum. Most are expected to get $300 each. In order to get the money, seniors must fill out the 1040A tax form and write “stimulus payment” at the top.

Like many area retirees, the LeVasseurs made so little money that they hadn’t filed taxes in years. To get their economic stimulus check, they got help with the 1040A form from Seniors Plus. When they filled out the 2007 tax form, Seniors Plus also encouraged them to fill out a tax return for 2006 so they could get the telephone tax refund that was offered that year – $40 for couples and $30 for individuals.

Fast forward to this week when the LeVasseurs received a check from the federal government. The check didn’t say what it was for, and they knew other people who had gotten smaller-than-expected economic stimulus payments. Since they were waiting for their economic stimulus check, they assumed that was it.

They expressed their disappointment in the Sun Journal on Thursday. They were part of a story about local people who had received less-than-anticipated checks.

The LeVasseurs started getting calls Thursday morning after the story ran. Some people pointed out the check was likely for the telephone tax refund. Others shared their confusion.

“People called us up and said they got $40 checks, too, and didn’t know what they were for,” Robert LeVasseur said.

The LeVasseurs said they were embarrassed by the mistake. But experts said the mix-up was understandable.

Now, local advocates want to make sure seniors know that most can get $300 in economic stimulus money – not $40 – if they apply for it.

And they may be eligible for $30 or $40 as well, like the LeVasseurs.

Seniors Plus is still helping seniors fill out the necessary paperwork, according to Moore. Seniors should call the Lewiston office to get information about setting up a meeting, he said.

The IRS is also offering help. Seniors and other taxpayers can go to the office at 217 Main St., Lewiston.