The Internal Revenue Service wants to help 3,000 Butler County retirees and disabled veterans get their economic stimulus checks.

Gregg Semanick, IRS spokesman, said Thursday to get the economic stimulus check starting at $300 for single people and $600 for couples, people must file their tax returns.

The IRSis making a special effort to get retirees and disabled veterans across the nation a stimulus check.

"We did one mailing to these groups, explaining the program along with sample 1040A forms, one filled out and one blank, earlier this year," Semanick said.

"The IRS decided to have another mailing this summer, as our summer campaign, to get the rest of those people to file their return in order to get their stimulus check," he added.

According to IRS figures, there are 942,046 potential income tax filers in Pennsylvania.

Of those, 22,109 people have failed to file, or about 26 percent of the eligible population. That's about the same for the nation.

Semanick said in Butler County, Butler has 1,065 eligible people who have not yet filed, while Cranberry Township has 210.

He said if someone wants to wait for the second form mailing to file their income tax, thereby qualifying for the stimulus payment, they can. But they need to remember the last day to file is Oct. 15.

"Or if they have a computer, or their family or friends can go to www.IRS.gov, and print out the forms," Semanick said.

Retirees and disable veterans also can go to a library or community center that has computers to help with the forms.

Semanick said on the IRS Web site there is a stimulus payment calculator, so people can estimate their payment.

"This also can be used if they think their payment is too low to make sure they have received what they should have," he said.

Semanick wants people to know the stimulus payment schedule,which is posted online, only applies to people whose income tax forms were processed by April 15, 2008.

"If you're a late filer or a deferred filer, or if you turned in your forms on the last day (April 15), then this schedule won't apply to them," he said.

The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 provided for payments of $600 per person plus $300 for each qualifying child. Individuals won't receive a check if their adjusted gross incomes are greater than $75,000 or $150,000 for married couples filing jointly.

People do not normally have to file an income tax return must file Form 1040A to get their stimulus payment.