ICYMI: Strickland and Local Mom Highlight the Importance of the Child Tax Credit (VIDEO)

Washington, D.C. —Last week, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) visited the Eastside Community Center with Tacoma mom, MomsRising advocate, and Child Tax Credit recipient, CarolynSolitaire and her family. Strickland and Solitaire discussed how crucial this aid will be for Solitaire’s family, and encouraged hardworking South Sound families to be on the lookout for advance monthly payments of up to $300 per month, per child which the IRS began to distribute on Thursday, July 15^th and will continue to distribute until December. (Strickland and Solitaire were featured on KIRO 7 News: Read the article here and watch the interview here. Additionally, they were featured by KING 5 News: Read the article here.)

“Families should not bear the brunt of this pandemic’s devastation. The Child Tax Credit will help set children up for success and put more money in the pockets of hardworking parents to pay for family expenses like childcare or transportation,” said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland. “If we want to build back better, revive our economy, and get people back to work, we have to invest in children and families.”

“Throughout the pandemic, my daughter and I have been taking shifts around the clock to care for my 9-year-old son, Francisco, when we’re not working full-time. It’s not getting any easier. With schools re-opening, I’m worried about finding and affording before and after school care for my son.You can’t turn families on and off like a light switch - we need urgent help now to make ends meet and that is exactly what the Child Tax Credit will provide. I’m grateful Congress passed this benefit which will go a long way towards helping me afford child care for my son, pay for basic needs like utilities, rent, and put food on the table,” said Tacoma mom, MomsRising advocate, and Child Tax Credit recipient, CarolynSolitaire.

Major Tax Relief for South Sound Families:

• 88.8% of children in Washington’s 10th Congressional District will benefit from the expanded and improved Child Tax Credit- 154,000 children. 
• 48,200 households in Washington’s 10th Congressional District could get an average total benefit of $2,800, and the hardest-hit families will receive $4,800 on average.
• The Child Tax Credit will lift 7,100 children in Washington’s 10th Congressional District out of poverty, including 2,800 children under the age of six, and 4,100 children in deep poverty.

How Much Is the Child Tax Credit Expansion from the American Rescue Plan?

The American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit to up to $3,600 per child for children ages 0 to 5 and $3,000 per child for children ages 6 to 17. 

The American Rescue Plan also authorized advance monthly payments of the Child Tax Credit through December 2021. Beginning in July and running through December, qualifying families can get up to:

•  $300 a month per child for children ages 0 to 5.
•   $250 a month per child for children ages 6 to 17.

Families will get their remaining expanded Child Tax Credit when they file their 2021 tax return.

Who Qualifies?

Families will qualify for a full credit if their income is below $75,000 for single filers, $112,000 for people filing as head of household, or $150,000 for people who are married and filing jointly.

How Do I Get My Payment?

• Nearly all hardworking families should get their monthly payments automatically beginning July 15^th with no further action required. If you’ve filed tax returns for 2019 or 2020, or if you signed up to receive a stimulus check from the Internal Revenue Service, you will get this tax relief automatically. You do not need to sign up or take any action.
• Families who did not file a tax return for 2019 or 2020 and who did not use the IRS Non-filers tool last year to sign up for the Economic Impact Payments, should go online and use theIRS Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool to sign up today.
• Families who got their refunds from the IRS through direct deposit will get these payments in their bank account around the 15th of every month until the end of 2021. People who don’t use direct deposit will receive their payment by mail around the same time.
• Families will be able to determine their eligibility, check the status of their payments and more atIRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021 later this month.  

Watch Out for Scams

According to IRS.gov: “The IRS urges everyone to be on the lookout for scams related to both Advance Child Tax Credit payments and Economic Impact Payments. The IRS emphasized that the only way to get either of these benefits is by either filing a tax return with the IRS or registering online through the Non-filer Sign-up tool, exclusively on IRS.gov. Any other option is a scam.

Watch out for scams using email, phone calls or texts related to the payments. Be careful and cautious: The IRS never sends unsolicited electronic communications asking anyone to open attachments or visit a non-governmental web site.

More details from the White House are available at www.childtaxcredit.gov.

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland serves as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and serves as a Member of the House Armed Services Committee. She is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and the first African-American to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.

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