Child tax credit payments begin Thursday for 39 million U.S. families

Starting July 15, eligible parents will begin receiving automatic monthly payments for the next six months of $250 for every child aged 6 to 17 and $300 for every child under 6.

An estimated 1.6 million children across Virginia will benefit from the expanded child tax credit, including 249,000 children in the Commonwealth who are currently in poverty.

The expansion will lift 85,000 Virginia children out of poverty.

“The pandemic has taken a devastating toll on families across the Commonwealth, exacerbating the challenges that low- and middle-income families face,” Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a joint statement.

“In response, Democrats expanded the Child Tax Credit and instructed IRS to make advance payments as part of the American Rescue Plan,” the senators said. “These monthly payments will make a huge difference in the lives of families in Virginia and across the nation by providing low- and middle-income parents with money to help pay for necessities like food, housing, and health care.

“We are proud to have supported this expansion, which will cut child poverty in half and improve lives across the Commonwealth.”

To qualify for the monthly Child Tax Credit payments, families must have:

• Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return and claimed the Child Tax Credit on the return; or given their information in 2020 to the IRS to receive the Economic Impact Payment using the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool.
• A main home in the United States for more than half the year (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) or file a joint return with a spouse who has a main home in the United States for more than half the year.
• A qualifying child who is under age 18 at the end of 2021 and who has a valid Social Security number.
• Made less than certain income limits: households earning less than $75,000 for single filers, $112,500 for heads of households, and $150,000 for joint filers.

Warner and Kaine urge eligible Virginia families to make sure they receive their checks by visiting the IRS website to ensure they are enrolled. Most families who are eligible will not need to do anything to receive these payments; IRS will use the information they have on file to automatically deposit the funds into their bank account or through a mailed check.

If you believe you are eligible but have not filed a tax return for 2019 or 2020, file your return or register for payments as a non-filer to automatically receive your monthly payment.

For more information, click here.