Americans who get federal benefits now have until September 30 to claim $500 stimulus checks for their dependents under age 17

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• Federal benefits recipients, including those collecting Social Security retirement, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Veterans Affairs benefits, now have until September 30 to claim stimulus checks for children in their care.
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• Under the CARES Act, Americans who receive federal benefits should have automatically received $1,200 stimulus checks sent to their bank account or home address.
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• In order to get an additional $500 for each dependent under age 17, they need to register with the nonfilers tool on the IRS website.
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• The IRS announced the new deadline on Friday - it was previously in May - and said it would make these payments to registrants in October.
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• Read more personal finance coverage.

The IRS has announced a new deadline for people who normally don't file a tax return but receive federal benefits, including Social Security retirement or disability, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Railroad Retirement, and Veterans Affairs benefits.

By September 30, anyone who gets these benefits, didn't file a tax return in the last two years, and has dependent children under age 17 must use the nonfilers tool on the IRS website to qualify for the additional $500 per child stimulus payment. The tool can be found here.

The IRS previously asked federal beneficiaries to register by May 5, or wait until next tax season to claim their payment. The tool, however, was still open beyond the deadline. Now the agency says it expects to make payments to earlier registrants and any new registrants in October.

"Given the extremely high demand for [Economic Impact Payment] assistance, we have continued to prioritize and increase resource allocations to eligible individuals, including those who may be waiting on some portion of their payment," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a news release. "To help with this, we are allocating additional IRS resources to ensure eligible recipients receive their full payments during this challenging time."

If you don't make the September deadline but qualify for an additional payment, you won't get the money until next tax season.

Keep in mind that stimulus checks don't affect federal benefits or tax refunds, and they're not taxed as income.

Federal benefit recipients who are not claimed as dependents themselves should have received $1,200 stimulus payments the same way they normally receive benefits, whether through direct bank deposit or mailed to their home address.

Under the CARES Act, anyone who is eligible for a stimulus payment and has a dependent aged 16 and under is eligible for an additional $500 per child. Because federal benefits recipients who don't file a tax return are getting paid automatically, the IRS is asking them to take this extra step to get their maximum payment.

People who are not required to file a tax return and do not get federal benefits have until October 15 to register for their stimulus payment using the IRS nonfilers tool.