The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) significantly liberalizes the rules for the federal child tax credit, which means more money in the pockets of eligible parents this year. However, the liberalizations are only for the 2021 tax year. Here's the story.
The 2021 advance child tax credit (CTC) payments, which were established under a recent law, will begin being made on July 15, 2021, the IRS announced. The tax agency also stated that "roughly 39 million households — covering 88% of children in the United States — are slated to begin receiving monthly payments without any further action required."