The Federal government has started to send out monthly payments to parents. The first payments were issued in July, 2021 and have begun appearing in bank accounts in the last week or so. These payments are an advance on a child tax credit that you may (or may not) receive on your 2021 taxes. My understanding is that the total tax credit could be up to $7,200 per child. The Federal Government decided to send out half of the tax credit in six monthly payments from July – December. So, you may have already received a credit in your bank account of up to $300 per child.
So, why might you want to ask the Government to stop sending you this money? The problem is that you may not actually be entitled to the child tax credit. If you are not entitled to the tax credit, he IRS will want their money back when you file your taxes next year. My understanding is that they are sending the tax credit out to parents who claimed the children on their 2020 taxes (or maybe their 2019 taxes if they haven’t filed for 2020 yet). So, if you were able to claim your children on your taxes on your 2020 taxes, but won’t be able to claim them on your 2021 taxes, you may be getting the credit, but will eventually have to pay it back.
Now, I am no tax professional, so please consult your tax expert about this issue. In the meantime, here is an article I saw on this issue, and a link to a page with instructions on how you might stop these payments.
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal
#helpful hints #Child Tax Credits #divorced parents #when is free money a bad thing