Senator Murray urges families who don’t have to file taxes to visit childtaxcredit.gov to sign up
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, on Child Tax Credit Awareness Day, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on the Child Tax Credit expansion included in the American Rescue Plan. The expansion provides the largest child tax credit ever to the most working families in history and will start going out to families on July 15th.
“As families across our state are struggling to make ends meet, the Child Tax Credit expansion in the American Rescue Plan will soon put money directly in their pockets to help cover expenses from rent to diapers and everything in between. The first round of Child Tax Credit payments will be going out to working families on July 15th, and today, on Child Tax Credit Awareness Day, I want to make sure every eligible family in Washington state knows help is on the way and knows how they can get it. It’s easy to sign up even if you don’t have to file taxes—visit childtaxcredit.gov to learn more,” said Senator Murray. “As we rebuild from the pandemic I’m going to keep fighting for investments like these in our families and communities, because I believe getting back to normal isn’t good enough when normal wasn’t working for too many people—we need to invest in our families in a big way if we want to build an economy that is fairer and stronger for everyone in Washington state.”
For those with children, the American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child for children over the age of six and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children under the age of six, and raised the age limit from 16 to 17. Working families will get the full credit if they make up to $150,000 for a couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent (also called Head of Household). For a working family with two kids: that’s $500 or more on the 15th of every month this year.
On July 15th, automatic payments from the Child Tax Credit will begin hitting bank accounts and mailboxes. Most working families will receive automatic payments – without needing to sign up if they’ve already filed their taxes. Those who don’t make enough to be required to file taxes are eligible for these benefits too, but they will need to enroll at childtaxcredit.gov to receive the payments.
The Child Tax Credit will cut child poverty for Black families by more than 50% and Native families by more than 60%. While only about half of Black and Latino children were eligible to receive the Child Tax Credit before the American Rescue Plan, now the vast majority will receive this vital assistance. The expansion of the Child Tax Credit, along with the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit in the bill, is projected to boost the income of eight million Black households, including approximately 54,000 Black households in Washington State.
Washington state families can visit childtaxcredit.gov to learn more about the Child Tax Credit.
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