November 23, 2021
Candace J. Dixon
Families who are receiving monthly Child Tax Credit payments and need to make changes to their account information need to make the changes in the Child Tax Credit Update Portal by Tuesday November 29, 11:59 pm Eastern for them to be reflected in the last monthly payment for 2021, scheduled for December 15.
The Child Tax Credit Update Portal lets people make changes such as switch from paper check to direct deposit; update direct deposit information; change their address; report significant changes in come that might affect they payment amount; or stop them altogether. The Child Tax Credit Update Portal can be accessed only on the IRS website at IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021.
Most families began receiving monthly payments in July if they were eligible. Each payment was up to $300 per month for each child under age 6, and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17. Payments are based on returns filed for 2019 or 2020, including those people who registered online with the IRS. Families have generally been receiving half of their total Child Tax Credit in these advance monthly payments during 2021. They can then claim the remainder of the credit when they file their 2021 federal income tax return next year. early in 2022, Families will be receiving receive Letter 6419 documenting any advance payments that were issued to them during 2021 in early 2022 along with the number of qualifying children used to calculate the payments. While it’s too late to sign up for and receive advance payments of the Child Tax Credit during 2021, it’s not too late for eligible families to get the full benefit of the credit. If eligible people missed out on getting this year’s payments, they can potentially still get a lump sum payment when they file their 2021 federal tax return next year, including those who don’t normally file a return. There are links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions, and other resources available on the IRS’ special advance CTC 2021 page of their website. tools on the IRS website available online tools to help non-filers learn about and the Child Tax Credit.
All the features that previously were only available in English are now also available in Spanish.