8/13/2021
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service announced in an August 13 press release another $15 billion paid of Child Tax Credit Payments to families including 61 million children. Most people received their payments by direct deposit, with the remainder receiving them by mail. A technical issue caused 15% of recipients who received payments by direct deposit in July to be mailed paper checks for the August payment. This issue is is expected to be resolved by the September payments. For updates, visit the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to see if they’re receiving a direct deposit or paper check this month.
“Today 61 million children across America are benefiting from the advance Child Tax Credit, helping families put food on the table and meet the needs of the next generation,” said Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo. “We want every eligible family to have access to the advance Child Tax Credit, which is why we will continue our outreach efforts to drive enrollment as our children return to school.”
The number of payments was increased in this second monthly payment, covering another 1.6 million children.
The press release addresses the impact the tax relief is having on the lives of children, using the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. The data released reports:
Parents having less trouble covering the costs of food and household expenses after receiving their first payment
The share of families reporting that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the past week dropped to the lowest percentage since the pandemic began.
Parents are using their CTC payments to pay for basics for their kids.
Half of those who received a July payment said they used it to pay for food, and 1 in 4 spent some of it on clothing.
Treasury and the White House also announced a mobile-friendly, bilingual sign-up tool created by Code for America that will be available in coming weeks.
Advance Child Tax Credit Payments By State in August 2021
Resources: Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021
2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments Frequently Asked Questions
Treasury and IRS Disburse Second Month of Advance Child Tax Credit Payments