Today, the first payment of the expanded Child Tax Credit will roll out, benefitting nearly 1.5 million kids in Washington.

The American Rescue Plan Act signed into law in March 2021 made three important changes to the Child Tax Credit:

Increased the credit to $3,000-$3,600 per child;
Expanded to include families with little or no income; and
Will pay half the credit out in advanced monthly payments starting July 15!

The expansion of the tax credit is estimated to lift half of children across the U.S. out of poverty by helping parents and caregivers pay for household needs like rent, food, bills, and school supplies.

During a press conference on July 8 put on by Poverty Action, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, MomsRising, and Northwest Harvest, Shereese Rhodes, a member of MomsRising and Governor Inslee’s Poverty Reduction Work Group Steering Committee, said the expanded tax credit will help her family pay for gas to get to health appointments.“I’m a mom of two that I gave birth to but, I also feel like I’m a mom of many. And I learned that through this pandemic. A lot of families already were struggling before, we struggled even harder during, and we’re going to struggle after,” Ms. Rhodes said.

The monthly installments through December 2021 will make up half the credit amount with the remainder to be refunded when eligible parents file their 2021 taxes in early 2022. Currently the expansion is only for the 2021 tax year but, advocates and some members of Congress are fighting to expand the Child Tax Credit permanently. A permanent expansion would benefit 87% of kids in Washington. The increased amount and inclusion of families with little to no income offers some economic security to meet basic needs and cover unexpected emergencies. As Congresswoman DelBene said during last week’s press conference, “kids don’t grow up in a year or five years, so we need to make sure families know it’s going to be there for them throughout their child’s life.”

Help spread the word on getting signed up to receive advanced payments!

As Ms. Rhodes put it, "I get my information from my community…if I trust that person in community, I’m most likely going to utilize that source." Talk to your friends, family, neighbors, and networks so as many families that are eligible will get these payments!

Federal benefits like unemployment insurance, Medicaid, child care subsidies, SNAP, SSI, TANF, WIC, Section 8, SSDI, or Public Housing will not be impacted by receiving advanced payments.

Even if you did not have to file taxes this year or the year before, you can still sign up to receive payments using this Non-Filer Sign-up Tool.

To update household or bank information to be sure you receive your payments, or to opt out of advance payments for one lump sum when filing taxes in early 2022, use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal.

More answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.

For more information on eligibility and making sure your family is signed up, visit www.ChildTaxCredit.Gov