BEAUMONT, Texas — It's "Money May" and we're giving you all of the tips you need to get the most out of your money and today we're talking about the child tax credit.
An online portal is now open to help families who did not get to take advantage of the child tax credit get their missing payments.
You can now file a claim to get child tax credit payments or last year's stimulus checks if you didn't have to file a federal tax return this year.
The portal can be accessed through your computer or even your phone!
MORE | Child Tax Credit portal
So how do you know if qualify? The website's eligibility guidelines say it's for families who are not required to file taxes.
That would be single parents earning less than $12,500 or $25,000 for a married couple.
The portal is expected to be open until late this year. There are also other resources out there to help answer your questions or even to help solve other tax problems even if you aren't considered low income.
Eligible families can receive up to $3,600 depending on the ages of their children. The portal is free to use and can help you get the right benefit amount.
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Here is some important information to understand about this year’s Child Tax Credit from ChildTaxCredit.gov:
Increased amount: The American Rescue Plan significantly increased the amount of Child Tax Credit a family could receive for 2021, typically from $2,000 to $3,000 or $3,600 per qualifying child. It also made the parents or guardians of 17-year-old children newly eligible for up to the full $3,000.
Income eligibility: All eligible families can receive the full credit if they made up to $150,000 for a married couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent in 2021.
Advance monthly payments: The American Rescue Plan—for the first time ever—provided tens of millions of families with advance monthly payments between July and December of 2021 worth up to one-half of their estimated full annual credit amount.
Your remaining credit: Families, including those who received part of their Child Tax Credit as monthly payments last year, can get their remaining Child Tax Credit by filing a tax return this year.
Non-taxable: The Child Tax Credit, including the monthly payments received last year, are not taxable.
Does not affect other benefits: Receiving the Child Tax Credit will have no impact on anyone’s eligibility for, or lower the amount, of other federal benefits.
File your taxes to receive your full credit: If you qualified for monthly Child Tax Credit payments but did not receive them, you will receive the full credit amount when you file your tax returns.
For parents and legal guardians: Anyone, including grandparents, who are legal guardians may be eligible for the Child Tax Credit.