DEAR SUN SPOTS: My wife’s sister has passed away and we received her stimulus check in the mail. We need to send it back and have tried looking online everywhere for an address. Would you be able to help us with an address to return the check?

— Larry, no town

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I received my stimulus check in the amount of $2,400. However, it should have been for $1,200 since my husband passed away two years ago. I can’t seem to find information as to what I should do. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

— Jeanine, no town

ANSWER: How and where to return a stimulus payment is coming up more and more. If your sister-in-law was alive in 2019, some may argue that she was entitled to the payment and her heirs get to keep it.

According to the website, money.com, if you received a payment for a deceased person in the form of a paper check from the Treasury Department and it hasn’t been deposited, you should write “VOID” on the back, pop it in the mail to your regional IRS location, and include a note stating the reason for returning the check.

If you received a payment via direct deposit, or you got a paper check and already deposited it, the IRS expects you to pay the money back via personal check or money order made out to the U.S. Treasury. Write “2020EIP” on the check and also write the Social Security number or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) of the recipient on the check. Also include a brief explanation of the reason for returning the payment. I’ve also included phone numbers below in case you need to contact the regional offices.

Mail the payment to the Internal Revenue Service at 220 Maine Mall Rd., South Portland, ME 04106 (1-800- 829-1040) or to 68 Sewall St., Augusta, ME 04330. (622-1508)

Some stimulus payment recipients are asking what happens if they don’t return a payment. Perhaps some people won’t return the money because they’ve already spent it, they are unaware of the IRS’ rules, or they simply don’t want to pay it back.

No one really knows what the IRS will do about that come tax time next spring, but according to money.com, the answer may be that nothing will happen.

“I suspect the IRS will encourage people to return payments given incorrectly, but it’s less likely the agency will pursue people legally through the 2021 tax season,” a Tax Foundation spokesperson said. “It’s important to note that the IRS FAQs are not considered legal documents or even formal guidance, so while they are helpful in establishing the agency’s position, we’d need more details before knowing whether they’d have a strong case to pursue individuals legally over the payments.”

Ms. Sun Spots does not have the definitive answer on whether to return a stimulus check or not. My opinion is that if this was my circumstance, I would get advice from a professional who handles tax law to be absolutely sure what to do in this situation.

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