A list of the unstimulated

The Tax Policy Center estimates that about 10 percent of Americans won’t be getting a rebate check this spring. With the aid of Chad Stone, the chief economist at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, we’ve identified some would-be economic stimulators who are in for some disappointing news:

Disabled people: If you weren’t a veteran, disability itself won’t get you the check, even if you’re living on about $600 a month in public benefits, as many are.

College students and the very poor: If you made less than $3,000 this year, forget about it. Public benefits don’t count—it has to be earned income.

The unemployed: Senate Democrats, joined by some Republicans, tried but failed to include extended unemployment benefits in the package. If you’ve been unemployed all year and didn’t make $3,000, you get nothing.

Tax fudgers: Waiters, cabbies, street vendors, personal trainers and others who work largely in cash may get dinged if they under-report their income. A single taxpayer reporting $14,950 in earnings and taking the standard deduction gets a $600 check; report less and you get less.

Off-the-books earners: Prostitutes, drug dealers and loan sharks may be big indirect recipients of stimulus funds, but they won’t get checks themselves unless they’re reporting their earnings on their 1040s (in which case the lack of rebate checks may be the least of their worries).

Political refugees, foreign workers, green card holders: Congress required a Social Security number to get the stimulating checks, which eliminates folks applying for citizenship who haven’t yet gotten an SSN.

The rich: Last, but certainly not least, the rich get the stimulus shaft. Benefits start to phase out above $75,000 for a single filer and $150,000 for married ones.