The Center on Poverty and Social Policy released its newest monthly report on child poverty, finding that monthly poverty rates rose in April and May 2022, following the temporary decrease in March when most refundable tax credits were delivered to families who filed a federal tax return.
In April, the monthly child poverty rate for the total US population was 14.1%, up from 9.9% in March, when most Earned Income Tax Credit and the balance of expanded Child Tax Credit payments were delivered. The poverty rate continued to rise and ticked up to 16.6% in May. Overall, from December 2021 to May 2022, monthly child poverty rose 37.3%, representing 3.3 million additional children in poverty in May relative to December. These reports show that monthly benefit delivery has the power to smooth income volatility and reduce child poverty on a consistent basis year-round, yet the issue remains highly contested and there is no indication that the expansion of the Child Tax Credit will be included in the reconciliation package.
By Taylor Savage, Policy Intern
