File Taxes Before May 17 to Get Advance Child Tax Credit Payments as Soon as Possible

File your taxes before the May 17 deadline to ensure you receive the new advance monthly Child Tax Credit payments you are entitled to as quickly as possible. 

As part of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan families could get monthly payments of up to $300 per child beginning as soon as July. Rep. Nanette Barragán said the best way to ensure eligible families receive their payments is to file a 2020 tax return – even if they don’t have earnings to report or don’t normally file – because the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) needs information from tax returns in order to calculate and issue advance monthly payments.

• Families can get free help preparing and filing their taxes at several nearby locations found here.
• 192,900 children in California’s 44^th Congressional District could benefit from the advance monthly payments. That’s 94.3 percent of all children in California’s 44^th Congressional District.
• 52,000 households in California’s 44^th Congressional District could get an average total benefit of $3,400.

To claim the Child Tax Credit, the child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or U.S. resident alien, and must not be 17-years old by the end of the tax year. The child must have a Social Security Number, but the parents claiming the deduction may have either a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). 

How Much are the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments?

The American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit to up to $3,600 per child for children ages 0 to 5 and $3,000 per child for children ages 6 to 17. 

The American Rescue Plan also authorized advance monthly payments of the Child Tax Credit through December 2021. Beginning as soon as July and running through December, qualifying families can get up to:

$300 a month per child for children ages 0 to 5.

$250 a month per child for children ages 6 to 17.

Families will get their remaining expanded Child Tax Credit when they file their 2021 tax return.

Who Qualifies for the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments?

Families will qualify for a full credit if their income is below $75,000 for single filers, $112,000 for people filing as head of household, or $150,000 for people who are married and filing jointly.

To be eligible, children must:

Have a Social Security number,

Live with you for at least half of the year,

Be under age 18 as of December 31, 2021, and

Be claimed on your tax return.

Children are eligible if they are your children, adopted children, stepchildren, half-siblings, foster children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or certain other relatives. The adult filing taxes must have a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

How Can Families Get Help Preparing and Filing their Taxes for Free?

Free tax preparation services are generally available until the tax filing deadline. Families should file their taxes before the May 17^th deadline even if they do not have earnings to report or do not normally file, because the IRS needs information from tax returns in order to calculate and issue advance monthly payments.

Families can get free help preparing and filing their taxes at several nearby locations found here.

Families can file taxes for free online through the IRS Free File program at https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/. Families where the parent or caregiver is aged 50 or older can use this AARP tool to find free tax help near them at https://secure.aarp.org/applications/VMISLocator/searchTaxAideLocations.action.