The Child Tax Credit, part of the American Rescue Plan, is here to help families raising children make ends meet. Experts estimate that the new Child Tax Credit has the potential to cut child poverty in half. We need your help to spread the word and raise awareness of this major tax relief for working families.

The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University estimates that the expansion could cut child poverty overall by almost 45 percent and reduce racial disparities in child poverty—cutting Black child poverty by 52 percent, Hispanic child poverty by 45 percent, Native American child poverty by 62 percent, Asian American and Pacific Islander child poverty by 37 percent, and White child poverty by 39 percent.

Approximately 39 million households will be covered. Payments would be sent on the 15th of every month (except when that date falls on weekends and holidays).  Eligible families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child aged 6 and above.

In 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine was appointed by Congress to identify strategies to reduce the number of children in poverty in the United States by half in 10 years. The Academies’ report, A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty, concludes that:

“A wealth of evidence suggests that a lack of adequate family economic resources compromises children’s ability to grow and achieve success in adulthood, hurting them and the broader society as well.” The report further stated: “Some children are resilient to a number of the adverse impacts of poverty, but many studies show significant associations between poverty and child maltreatment, adverse childhood experiences, increased material hardship, worse physical health, low birth weight, structural changes in brain development, mental health problems, decreased educational attainment, and increased risky behaviors, delinquency, and criminal behavior in adolescence and adulthood. …the literature documents that poverty in early childhood, prolonged poverty, and deep poverty are all associated with worse child and adult outcomes.” 

We also know that poverty can contribute to child neglect. Several parental stressors are associated with chronic neglect, including poverty, mental health issues, and substance abuse. Of all forms of maltreatment, neglect has the strongest relationship to poverty. This relationship is not causal but contributory.

CWLA believes that the single strongest strategy to address many of the goals we seek, including prevention of child abuse and neglect, reducing foster care and other forms of out-of-home care, and making children a national priority, starts with lifting children out of poverty. Taking this opportunity in 2021 to expand and improve the Child Tax Credit—in ways we have outlined in one of our Hot Topic postings—can do just that. We have the momentum in Congress!

Help us spread the word about the largest child tax credit ever and learn more at ChildTaxCredit.gov.

Below are some helpful links including frequently asked questions (FAQs) for individuals: 

Below are info/instructions about how to use the portals or access the credits: