New online tools now exist to help get the 2021 Child Tax Credit.

You may have heard in the news that the Child Tax Credit has been expanded in 2021 so that:

• more people qualify (you don’t need income to claim the credit this year),
• the credit is larger ($3,600 for kids 0-5 and $3,000 for kids 6-17), and
• some people can get advance payments of the credit, starting in July 2021.

For more information read  COVID-19: Expanded Child Tax Credit to Help Families in 2021.

Have questions about how to get the credit? Or want to know if you qualify? The IRS has just developed some online tools that might help you. 

• Don’t normally file a tax return but want to get the credit? If you did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020, you can use the IRS Child Tax Credit Non-Filer Sign Up Tool to give the IRS the basic information needed to issue the advance Child Tax Credit payments.
• Don’t know if you qualify for the credit? The Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant allows families to answer questions to quickly determine whether they qualify for the advance credit. 
• Don’t want the advance payments? The Child Tax Credit Update Portal allows families to unenroll, or opt out from receiving the monthly payments so they can receive a lump sum when they file their 2021 tax return next year in 2022.

Haven’t gotten all your stimulus payments? The IRS Non-Filer Sign Up Tool can also help people who don’t normally file tax returns register for stimulus payments (Economic Impact Payments) they may have missed.