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The Internal Revenue Service is looking for more than 3,000 people in Beaufort and Jasper counties, but those people have nothing to fear from the tax man.

Instead, the IRS is making a push to find retirees and disabled veterans who qualify for a $300 economic stimulus payment but haven't claimed it yet.

Those folks -- who include recipients of certain Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefits -- don't have to file federal income taxes, but are still eligible for the stimulus payment. Some 2,413 people in Beaufort County and 626 in Jasper County fall into that category. Statewide, 88,661 people can still claim the stimulus payment, according to Mark Hanson, IRS spokesman for South Carolina.

Information about economic stimulus payments

The form required, the 1040A, is simple and easy to complete, said Don Arboe, who coordinated free tax preparation efforts for the local AARP.

"It takes maybe 10 minutes," Arboe said. "There's only about four or five lines (to fill out)."

Despite the ease of the form and an informational campaign by the IRS and the AARP, not many people used the AARP's tax preparation services to get the stimulus payment. Those services ended in April.

At the SHARE Senior Center on Hilton Head Island, 12 people came in only for the 1040A form. Just 20 came to the AARP's tax help service at the Hilton Head branch of the Beaufort County Public Library for that service. On the mainland, only 16 people used the AARP tax preparation service at the Bluffton library and just six used the Sun City Hilton Head location to apply for the stimulus check without filing a federal return, said Carol Anderson, who also coordinated the AARP tax preparation efforts in the area.

So, how much are people missing out on?

For those who didn't have to file taxes, there is a minimum payment of $300 per person, or $600 for married couples plus $300 for each eligible child younger than 17, according to the IRS.

The IRS estimates there are 5.2 million people nationwide who have not filed for a stimulus check. The deadline is Oct. 15.

Meanwhile, it's tough for retailers to tell whether customers are using their rebate money on shopping. But, at the Tanger Outlet Centers in greater Bluffton, the checks seem to be helping, said Beth Hilton, general manager of the centers.

"We're pretty certain that we've seen some impact," Hilton said. "We've seen spikes (in sales) in the middle of the week that make no sense."

Hilton attributes some of those to new rounds of payments arriving.

Haven't received your check?

If you've filed your 2007 taxes and are wondering where your stimulus check is, there are a number of possible answers:

• If you requested a paper check instead of direct deposit and the last two digits of your Social Security Number are between 64 and 99, the check hasn't been mailed yet. All checks will be mailed by July 11.

• If you should have gotten payment by now, but haven't, it could be because you moved, switched banks or even because there was a hitch in some preparation software that didn't add a rebate for dependent children. Some direct deposit payment haven't been paid yet, despite being scheduled. The IRS has said those will be paid in the next few weeks.

• Stimulus payments decrease for those with high levels of income. The reduction starts at an individual earning $75,000 and couples earning $150,000. Individuals making more than $87,000 and couples filing jointly with incomes above $174,000 won't receive a stimulus payment, according to the IRS.

• Call the IRS rebate hotline at 866-234-2942 or visit irs.gov for more information.

How to file

For more information on filing a 1040A to receive the economic stimulus payment even if you didn't file a federal tax return, go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/k1040a3.pdf.

You can also call the IRS rebate hotline at 866-234-2942 or visit the nearest IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center at 120 Barnard St. in Savannah. The phone number there is 912-651-1430.