Reminder: There's still time for families to get the full Advance Child Tax Credit this year

It's not too late for families to obtain the full Advance Child Tax Credit this year. Some low-income families may not be aware of this benefit because, unlike in prior years, a parent does not need to have income to obtain the credit for 2021 (advance or otherwise).

The total child tax credit amount is $3,000 per older child (aged 6-17) and $3,600 per younger child (age 5 and younger). The advance portion of the credit is half of that, with the balance paid in a tax refund next year. For example, a parent with two children who will be 6-17 or under at the end of this year can still get $3,000 in advance payments between now and the end of the year ($3,600 if the two children will be 5 or under at the end of the year)!

But there is an October 15, 2021 deadline for using the new, easy-to-use GetCTC site (Español) (a partnership between Code for America, the White House, and the US Department of Treasury) and the IRS non-filer portal to sign up for the advance payments. Assuming that a low-income family does not have a reason to file a "regular" tax return, using one of the portals is the best way to get the advance payments.