Americans on Social Security now have to file a tax return to receive a stimulus check. Most high school seniors and college students won’t get any money at all.

Thirty-four senators sent the White House a letter Wednesday asking why the Trump administration is placing a “significant burden” on senior citizens and the disabled.

The Trump administration is requiring Americans who receive Social Security to file a tax return to receive their $1,200 economic stimulus payment, an added step that is causing confusion and could prevent millions from easy access to relief.

Many lawmakers and advocates for the poor say filing a tax return shouldn’t be necessary for people on Social Security because the government already knows how to send this population monthly checks. The $2.2 trillion aid legislation, passed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, said that if someone has not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return, the U.S. Treasury should get their information from Social Security, if applicable.

But, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice on its website on Monday instructing Social Security recipients who do not normally send in a return to file a “simple” tax return, which will be available soon.

“People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment,” the IRS said. “Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax.”

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A request to IRS and the Treasury Department for comment about the discrepancy was not returned. Democrats and some Republicans are upset that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to help ensure that as many Americans as possible get these payments during this national health emergency.

Forty-one Democratic senators sent the White House a letter Wednesday asking why the Trump administration is placing this “significant burden” on senior citizens and the disabled. GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called it “ridiculous.”

Josh Hawley✔@HawleyMO

Despite language Congress passed in #COVIDー19 relief bill to ensure Social Security beneficiaries would NOT have to file taxes to receive direct relief, IRS issued guidance saying seniors DO have to file taxes. That’s ridiculous. IRS should follow the law that Congress passed

12:40 PM – Apr 1, 2020

“Despite language Congress passed in #COVIDー19 relief bill to ensure Social Security beneficiaries would NOT have to file taxes to receive direct relief, IRS issued guidance saying seniors DO have to file taxes. That’s ridiculous. IRS should follow the law that Congress passed,” tweeted Sen. Hawley.

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More than 15 million Americans on Social Security do not file an annual tax return because their income is so low, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. During the last recession, when the U.S. government sent most Americans a stimulus check and required a filed tax return to get it, 3.5 million Social Security recipients were left out because they never sent a return, according to a 2008 Treasury Department analysis.

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Speaking at the coronavirus task force briefing on March 17, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced plans to send checks to struggling businesses. (The Washington Post)

There is concern that even more people won’t file during the pandemic. Many older Americans are worried about their health and safety, and it’s harder to get help with a tax return while stuck at home.

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“There is no need for Treasury to require those millions of Social Security recipients to file,” said Chye-Ching Huang, a tax expert at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. “We just hope it’s a misunderstanding and they clear it up quickly. It’s a really simple fix.”

Congress and the Treasury Department wanted to get the money out as quickly as possible, so they largely based the rules governing who gets the payments on the standards used in 2008, in the hope that the IRS could move faster. With so many millions of Americans out of work, the Trump administration is under pressure to quickly deliver these $1,200 payments to adults earning less than $75,000 a year and $500 payments to families with children younger than 17.

Mnuchin said direct deposits should begin by April 17, followed by checks in the mail. About 60 percent of tax filers gave the IRS direct-deposit information in recent years, said Nicole Kaeding of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. The IRS said there would soon be a web-based portal for people to update their direct-deposit information.

Beyond the tax-filing hurdle, millions of other Americans are realizing that they don’t qualify for a coronavirus relief check.

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Most high school seniors and college students won’t get any money. The bill gives nothing to families for their children older than 16, a shock to many households already reeling from canceled graduations, and college students readjusting to life at home with so many universities shut down. Many immigrant families are also learning that they are ineligible. In order for anyone in the family to receive a payment, each person in the household — including children — is supposed to have a valid Social Security number.

Nick Guerrero of Mesa, Ariz., has learned that he’s one of those who won’t be getting any money because he’s 18, another blow to his senior year of high school that is quickly unraveling.

On Sunday night, Guerrero was video chatting with a dozen friends and they laughed at the thought of having to hold a virtual prom and getting their high school diplomas via email. It still seemed unreal. On Monday, they woke up to the news that school was canceled for the rest of the year in Arizona.

“It was like a shot to the heart,” Guerrero said.

Some of his friends have lost their after-school jobs. He planned to get one soon to help save for college, but that is no longer possible. He has been applying for college scholarships, but some applications require him to use a fax machine or send a hard copy of his paperwork, and he no longer has access to the school printer.

Money is tight and his family had to borrow from a relative to pay for his Advanced Placement tests this spring. His parents — an education professor and a golf coach — expect to receive the government relief payment in April, which should help, but they won’t get $500 for him.

Guerrero trades text messages on a chain with about 25 friends — classmates he hasn’t seen since spring break started on March 6. Each day brings more harsh news about people they know getting sick and families hurting for money. His mom’s phone pings frequently with “SOS” messages from college students who can’t pay their rent.

“It seemed crazy to me that 17- and 18-year-olds won’t get this. We’re losing our jobs, too,” he said.