Q: You can take an additional standard deduction for real estate taxes on your 1040 form. What about the great many of us who use 1040EZ and already have filed?

–– M.M., West Greenwich

A: You’ll have to file an amended return. Here’s the deal:

When you fill out your federal income tax return, you have a choice: Make a separate list of all your deductions, a process known as itemizing (on Schedule A of your U.S. Form 1040), or simply claim a lump-sum amount, known as the standard deduction.

By itemizing, you get to claim a variety of deductions — including the one for real-estate tax (sometimes called property tax). But if you claim the standard deduction, you normally can’t claim a deduction for real-estate tax.

However, new for this tax filing season, you may claim a limited deduction for real-estate tax even though you claim the standard deduction, said Henry W. Stad of Rumford, local coordinator and tax counselor for the AARP Tax-Aide program.

This provision might apply to you if you own your own home and pay property tax, but you don’t have enough in deductions to itemize (for instance, maybe you’ve already paid off your mortgage).

This provision generally lets you deduct up to $500 in real-estate tax if you’re single, or up to $1,000 if you’re married and filing a joint return.

That could generate an extra $75 in tax savings if you’re single, or $150 if you’re married (assuming you’re in the 15-percent federal tax bracket). “It does reduce your tax, and … every little bit helps,” Stad said.

Technically, the deduction is an addition to your regular standard deduction amount. You may claim it only if you file U.S. Form 1040 (see the instructions for Line 39) or U.S. Form 1040A (see the instructions for Lines 23 and 24). But you’ve got to use one of those forms; you can’t claim the extra deduction for real estate taxes on Form 1040EZ, said Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Peggy Riley.

If you’ve already filed Form 1040EZ, wait until it’s processed, then file an amended return on Form 1040X to claim the additional standard deduction amount for real estate taxes. “You don’t want the amended [return] to get mixed up in the processing of the original return,” Riley said.

Obtain a free copy of Form 1040X and instructions by visiting your local IRS office, calling the IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-3676, or using this IRS Web site:

www.irs.gov/formspubs

Q: I understand that all Social Security recipients will be receiving an extra check for $250 under the new stimulus package. When are those checks expected, and how will recipients who only become eligible mid-year be treated? I turn 62 in April and have applied for early Social Security starting in May, with my first check arriving in June. Should I expect the full $250, and when? …

–– J.C., Attleboro, Mass.

A: You’re talking about the one-time payment of $250 (sometimes called a rebate, or economic recovery payment) that resulted from the federal economic stimulus legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama Feb. 17.

In general, if you receive Social Security benefits (such as Social Security retirement, Social Security survivor or Social Security disability benefits), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you’ll receive your payment next month.

You’re eligible for the payment only if you were receiving the benefits mentioned above in November or December of 2008, or January of 2009, said Kurt Czarnowski, regional communications director for the Social Security Administration. So if you start or started collecting benefits after January 2009, you’re not eligible, he said.

The Social Security Administration will send notices to eligible beneficiaries later this month, letting them know on which date in May they can expect to receive their payments, Czarnowski said.

If you normally receive your benefits by direct deposit, you’ll get your payment by direct deposit; if you get your benefits by check, you’ll get your payment by check. But the payment will be made separately from your usual monthly benefit; you won’t get them together on the same date, he said.

Also, you’ll get the money automatically. “You don’t need to do anything in order to receive the payment,” Czarnowski said.

Find out more from this Social Security Web site:

www.socialsecurity.gov/payment

Keep in mind, too, that Social Security beneficiaries aren’t the only ones eligible; you may obtain a one-time, $250 payment if you receive certain other types of benefits, such as Railroad Retirement benefits or certain benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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