One aspect of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was the expansion of Child Tax Credit, which meant that more families with children were eligible to receive monthly funds. Some months on from the implementation of the new funding there are likely to be many families who have so far missed out on the windfall due to either not being aware of it or thinking that they don’t qualify.
In fact, even if your family has limited or no income and hasn’t filed taxes you are still eligible as long as you have a child in the home under the age of 17 in 2021 and who has a Social Security Number. You can expect to receive up to $3,600 for each child under 6, and up t0 $3,000 for your kids aged between 6 and 17.
Those who have filed taxes should have been receiving those funds automatically; for those who perhaps have the greatest need but who aren’t on the IRS records there is the opportunity to sign up and start receiving. This being the government the portals to allow you to sign up are now closed for the season(!) but will be opening again in January, at which point you can access the portal through Get Your Child Tax Credit | GetCTC. In the meantime, you can access that website to address any questions you may have about your eligibility and your options.