$400 USD Richer

Just like that.

I came back from my work trip today and checked my mailbox. With a sinking heart, I saw that I had an envelope from the US government. Their envelopes are quite distinct, with their stern, small, and narrow writing exuding heady power. Or maybe that's just my imagination.

But when I opened it up, it just contained a check with my name on it for $400 from the US Department of the Treasury. Awesome!

And then I got worried. Who just sends you money for no reason? No documentation came with the check--it was the only piece of paper in the envelope. I knew that I wasn't owed a tax refund from my 2010 return, and that we are in debt up the wazoo, so it probably wasn't a stimulus check.

Or was it?

This  and this post was somewhat helpful in my search for an explanation. While I have been living overseas, not paying much attention to tax laws in the US except where they concern international citizens, they made some adjustments to federal withholding tax to allow more take-home pay to get to workers in the 'Making Work Pay Tax Credit'. I didn't even know about this, and even if I had heard about it, I would have thought that I was ineligible due to my overseas status. I certainly wouldn't have (and didn't) add the credit in on my tax returns.

It is a mystery how I still got the money even though I didn't fill out the special form (Schedule M, apparently) and include it along with my return. It also makes me think that I could have claimed in 2009--no check appeared last year.

So I'm satisfied with the explanation now, but still a little confused about my eligibility. But hey, it is addressed to me in another country, so...

Thanks, USA! I wish you had kept the money and fixed more problems, but since you went to all the trouble of cutting me a check, I'll put it to good use.