The deadline is coming up for families who haven’t yet received, but qualify for, advance child tax credits to sign up for the payment.
Parents who don’t typically submit income taxes have until Monday, Nov. 15, to sign up using the non-filers tool.
The reminder was issued Friday by Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social Security, which stated the agency “is engaged in a final push to inform local families, particularly those in hard-to-reach ethnic and non-English speaking communities,” according to a DPSS news release.
The fourth of sixth monthly installments were sent out to about 36 million households last month, including 4.2 million in California alone. But there continue to be concerns that financially-strapped families who qualify for the advance payments aren’t receiving them.
“Our department is on a mission to inform local families who are at the highest risk of missing out on the 2021 ACTC and who we know need it most,” DPSS Director Antonia Jiménez said in the release. “This tax credit is essential to the many families who will benefit from the tax credit.”
Under the American Rescue Plan, households can receive a monthly payment of up to $300 per child aged 5 and younger, and as much as $250 per month for ever child 6 to 17 years old.
Since the payments were primarily based on 2019 or 2020 tax returns, most qualifying families were automatically enrolled in the program.
Those who typically don’t submit an income tax return, however, needed to sign up using a special online tool in order to establish eligibility and claim the advance child tax credit.
For those who haven’t done that, they can sign up by Nov. 15 and still receive a large payment in December that will include all six payments (the first monthly payment was issued in July). Then, the last half of the credit will be issued as a one-time payment after taxes are filed next year.
The next installment is also slated to go out that Monday, but it’s too late to receive a payment by then for those who haven’t filled out the non-filers tool yet.
The online sign up for payments can be found here and is available in English and Spanish.
Have questions about the advance child tax credits? The IRS has a comprehensive section set up on its website that features answers to the most frequently asked questions.