Question: Regarding the stimulus, it’s one thing for the non-filers, but what about those of us who did file taxes and the IRS messed up our bank accounts? We shouldn’t have to wait to get this money as a tax credit later (http://808ne.ws/18irs).

Answer: If you used the IRS “Get My Payment” online tool and it showed that a direct deposit had been made to an account that you do not recognize, keep checking your own financial account for a direct deposit “in the coming days,” the IRS said in a statement Friday.

The agency said it is working to swiftly redirect stimulus payments that were mistakenly deposited in temporary bank accounts associated with tax-preparation companies, rather than with the individual taxpayers who were supposed to get the money.

The Get My Payment tool at irs.gov may continue to show the wrong account, even after the money has been properly redirected, it said.

Although the IRS said it expects to correct many of these mistakes, eligible taxpayers for whom it cannot correct the error may claim the stimulus as a credit on their 2020 tax return.

Q: Does having a gold star on your driver’s license mean there are additional steps to renewing your state ID?

A: You are among the Hawaii residents who held an unexpired, eight-year state ID when you first obtained or renewed your Hawaii driver’s license to add the gold star, signifying compliance with the federal REAL ID law. Now that your state ID is expiring, you won’t be able to renew it, unless you relinquish your gold-star driver’s license.

The state will issue you only one REAL ID-compliant credential at a time. Standard state IDs now are REAL ID-compliant. An applicant for a standard state ID doesn’t get to choose whether or not to have the gold star; it’s a standard element of the credential, signifying the applicant has met the identification, lawful U.S. presence and Hawaii residency requirements to hold the card.

THERE IS a noncompliant state ID available, but it is for incapacitated individuals, which would not seem to apply to you since you hold a current, two-year Hawaii driver’s license.

Before the REAL ID era, many older drivers preferred to hold both a Hawaii driver’s license and a state ID because the state ID is good for eight years and the driver’s license must be renewed every two years once the driver reaches age 72.

If you insist on holding both, you could give up your gold-star driver’s license and obtain a Limited Purpose Driver License, which is not REAL ID-compliant and does not carry the gold star. This type of license doesn’t require an applicant to provide a Social Security number or prove their lawful presence in the United States. It is good for driving on public roadways in Hawaii, but would not be accepted for official federal purposes. Since your driver’s license would no longer hold the gold star, you could then apply for a standard state ID.

MOST OF the readers we hear from don’t decide to go this route, however, preferring to keep their federally compliant driver’s license and not renew their state ID once it expires.

The state Department of Transportation and Honolulu County Department of Customer Services publicized the rules when they first took effect, but many people don’t seem to notice until one or the other of their credentials nears expiration and they have trouble renewing.

Mahalo

Mahalo to the shopper at Ala Moana who saw my receipts fluttering away and ran to grab them and then caught up with me. I did need them because I was on my way to make returns. — Grateful shopper

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.