Rep. Demings: Child Tax Credit Arrives Today

Washington, D.C.: Today Rep. Val Demings (FL-10) is encouraging hardworking families to be on the lookout for monthly payments of the Child Tax Credit.

No Republican Members of Congress voted for the Child Tax Credit, which was passed by Democrats and signed by President Biden earlier this year as part of the American Rescue Plan.

Said Rep. Demings, “The Child Tax Credit monthly payments that we passed in the American Rescue Plan will be transformative for hardworking American families, helping them make ends meet and give their children the best possible future. Florida’s families can use help with health care and childcare, as well as daily necessities like gas, groceries, and rent and mortgage payments. I am proud that we passed this critical support despite total GOP obstruction. When we invest in America’s middle class, our nation succeeds. I will keep fighting to ensure that every family in Florida has a fair chance to succeed and give a good life to their children.”

As part of the American Rescue Plan, which passed with the support of Rep. Demings but zero GOP votes, families could get monthly payments of up to $300 per child.

• 176,100 children in Rep. Demings’ district could benefit from the advance monthly payments. That’s 88% of all children in the district.
• 15,900 children in the district will be lifted out of poverty, and 5,400 children will be lifted out of deep poverty.
• 55,000 households in Rep. Demings’ district could get an average total benefit of $3,000.

Rep. Demings supports President Biden’s plan to extend these payments past 2021. No Republican Member of the House or Senate supported the child tax credit.

How Much are the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments?

Beginning as soon as 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.

Who Qualifies for the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments?

• 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.
  
• To be eligible, children must:
  • Have a Social Security number,
  • Live with you for at least half of the year,
  • Be under age 18 as of December 31, 2021, and
  • Be claimed on your tax return.
    
• Children are eligible if they are your children, adopted children, stepchildren, half-siblings, foster children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or certain other relatives. The adult filing taxes must have a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.

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