Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021 - July 21, 2021

Before 2021, taxpayers could receive up to a $2,000 nonrefundable credit per child, subject to income phaseouts, for the child tax credit. For tax year 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) increased the child tax credit available for taxpayers to $3,600 (for children under six years old) and $3,000 (for children between the ages of six and seventeen). The ARPA also allows for advance payments of 50% of the credit per child to be paid to taxpayers starting in July through the end of 2021.

Taxpayers that receive these advance child tax credit payments will be required to do a “true-up” on their 2021 tax returns. This may result in the taxpayer having to repay part or all of the advance child tax credit they received in 2021, subject to income phaseout requirements.

All taxpayers that were eligible for the advance credit tax payments (i.e., have children and whose income was below the phaseout amounts based on the IRS’s most recent tax return on file) were automatically enrolled in this program.

If a taxpayer wishes to unenroll in the advance child tax credit payments, go to IRS.gov, select “Get Details on the Advance Child Tax Credit” and select “Manage Payments.” Each taxpayer must first create an account and can then select to unenroll. Note: Each spouse must create an individual account to unenroll.