Rebate checks

[HALEY]

Who gets a rebate? Most people who pay taxes or earn at least $3,000, including through Social Security or veterans' disability benefits. Singles making more than $75,000 and couples with income topping $150,000, however, will get smaller checks, up to the top limits for any rebate: incomes of $87,000 for individuals and $174,000 for couples.

To get any rebate, you must file a 2007 tax return and have a valid Social Security number. If you already filed your 2007 return, the IRS says you don't need to do anything extra.

Most taxpayers will receive a check of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for couples, with an additional $300 for each child.

People earning too little to pay taxes but at least $3,000 - including elderly people whose only income is from Social Security and veterans who live on disability payments - will get $300 if single, or $600 if a couple.

The IRS will send out rebates - by mail or by direct deposit into your bank account - through the late spring and the summer. The rebates come in addition to any regular tax refund.

To pay for the rebates - which are estimated to cost about $117 billion over the next two years - the government will have to borrow more money, enlarging the budget deficit.