Should I Take The New Child Tax Credit In Monthly Payments Or Wait For The Lump Sum
The choice is yours here, you guysyou can either get half your payment July through December or you can wait until tax time rolls around and get it all in one lump sum.
If youre feeling super confused about what to do, youre not alone. Our State of Personal Finance research shows that of those who qualify for the Child Tax Credit, only 50%understand this new credit and what it means for their money. Half, you guys!
So, should you go for the monthly payments or just take one lump sum? A lot of it comes down to your family situation and whether there were any big income changes for you. Lets take a look:
Will Social Security And Ssi Claimants Get A Fourth Stimulus Check
- 9:00 ET, Aug 9 2022
IF you’ve been holding out hope for a fourth stimulus check – don’t hold your breath.
Despite inflation hitting a fresh 41-year high and the price of groceries and gas soaring, Congress has not moved yet to cut older Americans more slack.
However, a petition trying to convince lawmakers to send senior citizens a fourth, $1,400 stimulus check, continues to circulate.
Social Security and supplemental security income beneficiaries had been hoping Congress will consider a fourth stimulus check.
The Senior Citizens League, a non-partisan advocacy group, has been calling for the one-time $1,400 stimulus check for Social Security claimants, who are among the hardest hit by higher prices.
The group sent a letter to Congress last year, stating the cost-of-living adjustment, combined with inflation, will hit hard for many older Americans who are on a fixed income.
Can I Claim A Stimulus Check For Someone Who Is Deceased
Yes. For the third stimulus check, people who have died on or after January 1, 2021, are eligible to receive the third stimulus check. However, for married military couples, the date of eligibility is expanded. If the person who died was a member of the military and died before January 1, 2021, the surviving spouse can still receive the third stimulus check, even if they dont have an SSN.
For the first and second stimulus check, the IRS has stated that people who died on or after January 1, 2020, are eligible to receive both payments.
If they didnt receive the stimulus payments or didnt receive the full amounts that they are eligible for, spouses or other family members can file a 2020 federal tax return and claim it as part of their tax refund or use GetCTC.org if they dont have a filing requirement. The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021.
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What If I Was Underpaid Or Overpaid
First, double-check how much money you should be getting and make sure the amount you think youre supposed to get is right. You can do this on the IRSs Child Tax Credit Eligibility Tool or by checking to see what amount is on the letter that the IRS sent to you at the beginning of July .
If it still looks a little weird to you guys, then head over to the IRS Portal and make sure they have your latest information.
Is There More Coronavirus Relief Money Coming
To date, the US government has sent out over 122 million stimulus payments as part of the CARES Act to Americans. Though many have already received those payments, there are still some pending disbursement. If you think you are eligible, but have not yet received your payment, check here to see if your check has been processed.
Though every little bit helps, many have expressed concern over the ongoing financial stress that the #coronavirus crisis places on individuals and familiesand how the $1,200 payments, while helpful, do little to address these long term effects.
Congress has taken notice and introduced bills to address this financial gap. Now that the bills have been introduced, they must be approved by both the House and the Senate, though they dont require Presidential approval. These are the two bills on the table that have been getting the most attention.
If passed, this bill would provide a $2,000 monthly payment to every qualifying American over the age of 16 for up to 12 months.
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Will There Be A Fourth Federal Stimulus Check
As of July 2022, the federal government doesnt appear to have any plans to send a fourth stimulus check to all U.S. residents. The Biden administration has not made an appeal to Congress about a fourth stimulus payment, but legislative gridlock as the 2022 midterms approach all but assures any such proposal would be dead on arrival.
Who Is Likely To Get More Stimulus Money
For the time being, there is possibility that parents could benefit from a new stimulus check.
It has to be noted that parents were eligible to receive up to 3,600 dollars for children under age the age of and up to 3,000 dollars for kids aged six to 17 after the government changed the current regulations for the Child Tax Credit.
Meanwhile, almost half of the states have issued payments and others are expected to do so soon for eligible citizens.
Yet, there are many cases of Americans not filing taxes because they didn’t owe any taxes. Perhaps they are not aware that they are leaving some important benefits from the IRS on the table.
There are a number of refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
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Fourth Stimulus Check Amount
The fourth stimulus check amount depends on several factors. If passed, it would probably look similar to the previous checks, although that’s not guaranteed.
For reference, the first stimulus check amounted to as much as $1,200, while the second stimulus check brought $600 to eligible Americans. The third stimulus check, which the IRS is still in the process of distributing, is worth up to $1,400 per person, although the eligibility requirements are narrower.
All three checks gave the full amounts to taxpayers who made up to $75,000 a year, according to their most recent tax returns. Couples filing jointly got the full payment if they had a joint total income of $150,000 or less.
With the first two checks, those making up to $99,000 alone or $198,000 as a couple received prorated payments. With the third check, individuals who earned more than $80,000 per year or $160,000 per year as joint filers got nothing. Our guide to thestimulus check calculator can show you what your own eligibility looks like.
Stimulus Check Comeback: Multiple States Sending Money Again
Why some states are sending out the stimulus check again: To assist improve the U.S. economy at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, U.S. politicians chose a bold course of action and passed a $2.2-trillion stimulus plan. It was followed by two further installments of coronavirus alleviation later in 2020 and then again in 2021.
Altogether, it totaled up to one of the most generous fiscal responses to the virus globally but some economists have said it also resulted in the near-record high inflation that is now impacting Americans.
There is evidence that the stimulus, specifically the final wave, may have fuelled higher and higher prices, and in turn, hurt the very individuals it was supposedly designed to benefit. The payments certainly fueled the inflation, even though the other issues including supply chain delays and the crisis in Ukraine, which increased oil prices are also to blame.
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A $3600 Tax Credit This Year
Some recipients, however, decided that for whatever reason they didnt need or want the six monthly checks upfront. In that case, theyre getting the child tax credit instead as a lump-sum benefit this year.
As a reminder, for every child under the age of 6, a family could get an expanded child tax credit of as much as $3,600. Meaning, if those families decided to forgo the monthly checks? They can still get that $3,600 this year as a tax credit, never mind that the Senate has still not acted to re-up the monthly payments this year.
The same is true, by the way, if any families eligible for the lower tier of the expanded child tax credit choose a lump-sum benefit this year. They could get up to $3,000, if they, too, decided to forgo the monthly payments last year.
Do I Have To Pay Taxes On My Stimulus Payment
No. Since the stimulus check is considered a refundable tax credit, it is not classified as earned income. Hence not considered taxable income you will have to report in your 2020 tax return . It also wont affect your income for purposes of determining eligibility for federal government assistance or benefit programs.
This payment also does not have to be paid back if any over payment happens or your gross income in 2020 changes. This includes your income rising to above the qualifying thresholds. If you unexpectedly got the payment, congratulations! You get to keep it now.
Returning Incorrect Stimulus Check Payments
A few people have commented that a spouse, relative or child who died since they filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return received a stimulus check payment. The IRS has provided official guidance on this issue which states that any payments made to someone who died before receipt of the payment should be returned to the IRS in full. The exception to this is for payments made to joint filers and one spouse who had not died before receipt of the Payment, in which case, you only need to return the portion of the Payment made on account of the decedent
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What If I Owe Child Support Payments Back Taxes Money To Creditors Or Debt Collectors Or Federal Or State Debt
None of the three stimulus checks can be reduced to pay any federal or state debts and back taxes. Unlike the first stimulus check, your second and third stimulus check cannot be reduced if you owe past-due child support payments.
| Federal or State Debt | |
| Protected | Not protected |
If you are claiming the payments as part of your 2020 tax refund , the payments are no longer protected from past-due child support payments, creditor and debt collectors, and other federal or state debt that you owe . In other words, if you receive your first or second stimulus checks as part of your tax refund instead of direct checks, it may be reduced.
What If I Am Eligible For The Stimulus Checks But I Didnt File A 2019 Or 2020 Tax Return And Didnt Use The Irs Non
File your 2020 tax return or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement.
You can file a tax return even if you dont have a filing requirement to get other tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.
If you didnt get your first or second stimulus check or didnt get the full amount that you are eligible for, file a 2020 federal tax return and claim them as part of your tax refund or use GetCTC.org if you dont have a filing requirement. The deadline to use GetCTC.org is November 15, 2021.
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When Could The Stimulus Payments Start
Following approval of the bill on March 11th, millions of Americans will start seeing the third stimulus payments by mid-to-late March 2021 per the estimated IRS payment schedule and official Biden administration guidance. Comments below confirm these are going out now. You can also check the IRS Get May Payment tool for the latest status of your payment. See payment FAQs from the second round of payments, which will also apply for the most part this time around.
Due to the fact that payments are going out in the middle of tax season it may be very hard to get a hold of someone in the IRS to help with payment issues and you will likely have to wait until after April 15th to follow up on issues.
Can A Nursing Home Or Assisted Living Facility Take The Payment From Me
No. If you qualify for a payment, its yours to keep. If a loved one qualifies and lives in a nursing home, residential care home or assisted living facility, its theirs to keep. The facility may not put their hands on it or require somebody to sign it over to them. Even if that somebody is on Medicaid.
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What Did The American Rescue Plan Do
The American Rescue Plan came with a huge price tag of $1.9 trillion to spend on sending out stimulus direct payments, upping the Child Tax Credit, extending bonus unemployment benefits until September 2021, expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and offering rental assistance.1,2
Yeah, thats a mouthful. Lets walk you thought some of the heavy hitters from the American Rescue Plan.
Georgia: $250 Rebate Payments
Thanks to a historic state budget surplus, Georgia residents who filed both their 2020 and 2021 tax returns were eligible to receive rebate payments based on their tax filing status:
- Single filers: Maximum $250
- Head of household: Maximum $375
If you owed income tax or other payments to the state such as delinquent child support payments, you may have received a smaller rebate. Partial-year residents may have also received a smaller rebate.
Residents who filed their taxes before Gov. Brian Kemp signed the legislation received their rebates via a separate payment. The state expected to send all rebates for returns filed by April 18 by early August.
Georgia taxpayers can learn more via the Georgia Department of Revenue.
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What If I Havent Gotten My Stimulus Check Yet
First, head over to the governments site and sign in to your account to check on your payment status. If it shows the stimulus check was issued to you but you havent gotten it yet, you can run a payment trace to track it down. If the check wasnt cashed, the IRS will reverse the payment, and youll be able to claim it on your taxes. You can do this through the Recovery Rebate Credit.
If the check was cashed , youll have to make a claim and go through a whole process to get your stimulus money. That really stinks. Sorry in advance if you fall into that category. But with any luck, they should be able to straighten things out for you.
Child Tax Credit: December End
Some families received another form of stimulus aid when the IRS in July deposited the first of six monthly cash payments into bank accounts of parents who qualify for the Child Tax Credit . Families on average received $423 in their first CTC payment, according to an analysis of Census data from the left-leaning advocacy group Economic Security Project.
Eligible families received up to $1,800 in cash through December, with the money parceled out in equal installments over the six months from July through December. The aid was due to the expanded CTC, which is part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Families who qualify received $300 per month for each child under 6 and $250 for children between 6 to 17 years old. Several families that spoke to CBS MoneyWatch said the extra money would go toward child care, back-to-school supplies and other essentials.
While progressives and some Democrats urged lawmakers to continue the enhanced CTC, it appears stalled at the moment. That means families won’t receive a CTC payment in January or beyond.
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What Is The New Child Tax Credit Amount
Heres how the numbers break down: The American Rescue Plan bumps the Child Tax Credit up to $3,000 for children ages 617 and $3,600 for children under age 6.3 Expecting a baby in 2021? First of all, congrats! And heres some more good news for youbabies born in 2021 will qualify for the full $3,600. Have a college student? Parents can receive a one-time payment of $500 for each full-time college kid ages 1824.4
So, for a family that has three children , heres how it all breaks down:
Lets say they have three kids that are ages 12, 7 and 4 and a household income of $72,000 a year. Their new Child Tax Credit would be $9,600.
But remember, instead of applying the full amount of the credit to income taxes they might owe or getting a refund after they file their taxes, parents can get the credit up front in monthly payments of $250 for each qualifying child .5 So that family of three in our example would get $800 a month from July through December. Wow!
Right now, this change would be only for 2021but theres talk in Congress and the White House to make it a permanent thing for the next five years under Bidens American Families Plan. Yep, there are a lot of plans and acts to keep straight these days.
How Will The Stimulus Check Payments Be Made By The Irs
The IRS has confirmed that payments for most working Americans are expected to be calculated and deposited or mailed via check based on 2018 or 2019 federal tax filing payment details. Most people wont need to take any action and the IRS will calculate and automatically send the economic stimulus payment to those eligible. The Treasury department, under which the IRS falls has also created a website/portal for those who are not required to file U.S. income taxes or who have to change payment information .
For those who have not yet filed their return for 2019, the IRS will use information from their 2018 tax filing to calculate the payment. The economic impact payment will be deposited directly into the same banking account reflected on the last valid return filed. So if your 2018 information is out of date or your income situation changed in 2019, make sure you file, even if you have no taxes due .
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