Missing child tax credit payments in September: some parents have yet to receive the funds
Angry parents reached out to CNN, took to Twitter and posted to other online sites to complain about not receiving the money on September 15 as expected. Eligible families can get up to $ 300 for each child up to age 6 and up to $ 250 for each age 6 to 17.
The agency, which distributed $ 15 billion in credits to about 35 million families last week, admitted on Friday that “some people” had not yet received their September payments, although they did. July and August. He also noted that these parents might not be able to see the payment status on the IRS Child Tax Credit portal.
The IRS, which admitted Friday that it was reviewing the situation, did not immediately provide CNN with an update on Tuesday.
But now that the improved unemployment benefits have ended, the child tax credit has become even more important to the Lake Forest, California family. They received the funds for July and August by direct deposit, but the IRS portal doesn’t say anything about the September payment.
“I’m counting penny on penny,” said Belfiore, who tried to call the agency but hung up after waiting for an hour. “The $ 500 gives me money for gasoline to go to service and keep the lights on.”
Here are more details on the expanded child tax credit:
Who qualifies?
For many families, the credit then tops out at $ 2,000 per child and begins to wane for single parents earning over $ 200,000 or for married couples with incomes over $ 400,000.
More low-income parents are eligible for the child tax credit because the relief made it fully refundable. It had only been partially repayable – leaving more than 26 million children unable to get full credit because their families’ incomes were too low, according to Treasury Department estimates.
About half of black and Latino children, as well as children living in rural communities, received only partial or no credit because their families’ incomes were too low before the improvement, the Center said. left wing on the budget and politics. Priorities.
The provision means that a single mother with a toddler and a sophomore earning $ 12,000 a year would see her credit increase to $ 6,600 for 2021, from about $ 1,425, according to the center.
Parents who are not citizens can receive payments for their citizen children as long as they have an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) and their children have a Social Security number.
How much will I get?
It depends on your household income and the size of your family.
Eligible families can receive up to $ 3,600 for each child under age 6 and up to $ 3,000 for each age 6 to 17 for 2021. This is an increase over the credit for Regular child tax of up to $ 2,000 for each child up to age 17.
When will I see the money?
Parents will receive half of their credit on a monthly basis until the end of the year. Payments will be made on the 15th of each month, unless it falls on a weekend or a holiday.
They can claim the other half when they file their 2021 taxes next year.
Those who don’t get their monthly payments until later in the year will still get half the credit in 2021.
Families who wish to receive the payments as a lump sum can opt out of the monthly payments on the IRS portal.
The IRS advises parents whose income or circumstances change during the year to update their information through the agency’s portal when it adds the feature. The IRS can then adjust the monthly payments accordingly.
Lawmakers, however, have protected low-income parents from possible overpayments. Heads of households earning $ 50,000 or less and joint filers with income of $ 60,000 or less will not need to repay overpayments.
Do I have to do something to get it?
The vast majority of families get the credit automatically because they filed 2019 or 2020 returns claiming the credit.
The IRS portal has been criticized because the tool is only in English and does not work well on cell phones.
