What the Expanded Child Tax Credit Means for Lubbock Families

If you have kids, you’re probably familiar with the child tax credit. It saves you hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars every year when you file your taxes. And during the 2021 tax year, you’re likely to save even more money thanks to recently passed legislation.

The American Rescue Act passed in March 2021 did more than provide $1,400 stimulus payments and extend unemployment benefits to the tune of an extra $300 per week.

The American Rescue Act also expanded the child tax credit for the 2021 tax year. This year, the child tax credit has been expanded from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child over the age of 6 and $3,600 per child under the age of 6.

The expanded tax credit also gives families the option of receiving it in the form of monthly payments that would begin no sooner than July 2021 and end in December 2021.

That means a family with 2 kids under 6 would be eligible for a monthly installment of $600. A family with 4 kids under 6 would theoretically be eligible for $1,200 monthly payments.

The expanded tax credit begins to phase out for single filers making more than $75,000 a year and joint filers making more than $150,000, and it only applies for 2021.

It’s worth noting that a person’s eligibility for the expanded tax credit is not based on the number of kids they had in 2020, but the number of kids they WILL have by December 31, 2021.

In other words, you can consider the expanded tax credit, if you receive it as a monthly installment, as an advance on 50%…