Expect a few more payments this year as well a payout next spring.
Once the next child tax credit check goes out on Sept. 15, it’ll mark half of this year’s monthly payments that have been sent, with three more left through the end of 2021. This year, the IRS is sending half of what you qualify for as advance payments in six monthly installments. You’ll get the rest of your money in 2022 when you file your taxes.
There’s a collection of online IRS tools you can use to manage your monthly payments and check on their status. There are also key deadlines each month that you’ll need to hit if you want to make any changes before the next payment arrives. For example, the deadline to update your personal details before the October check is Oct. 4. This is the same deadline if you want to opt out of the remaining advance payments and defer getting that cash until next year.
Accessing the online Update Portal will also allow you to verify your direct deposit info and mailing address. You can’t yet add more dependents through the portal, but we’ll keep you posted when that option is available in the next several weeks. Read on to help mark your calendar for future payment dates and deadlines. We can also give you three reasons you may want to unenroll from the monthly payment program this year and what to do if you’ve received the wrong payment amount.
When do child tax credit payments end this year?
Counting September’s batch, the IRS has four more rounds of payments to send to those who qualify. The IRS has sent more than $30 billion in the July and August rounds of payments, and 80% of those were direct deposits; the rest went out as checks in the mail.
Here are the send dates to keep track of for the September through December payments and then the one in 2022:
When will the rest of the credit arrive next year?
After you receive whatever payments the IRS sends you this year, the remainder of your money will come with your tax refund in 2022, after you file your tax return next tax season. While the IRS did extend the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons due to the pandemic, you typically have from the end of January to April 15 to file.
How much will the last child tax credit payment be?
To help you file your taxes next year and either claim whatever amount the IRS still owes you or — much less likely — repay money you received but didn’t qualify for, the IRS will send you a letter in January 2022 with the total amount of child tax credit money you received in 2021. You’ll use information from this letter, which the IRS is calling Letter 6419, when you file your tax return.
What are the deadlines to opt out of child tax credit payments?
If, for whatever reason, you decide to unenroll from the monthly payments this year, you still have time to have the remainder of your child tax credit money show up next tax season. You may decide to unenroll, for example, if you think you may need to pay back money when you file your taxes in 2022.
Note that the IRS opt-out deadlines are about two weeks ahead of the payment dates. If you miss one deadline for a round of checks, your changes will take effect with the next round. And these are the same deadlines you need to hit for making other changes to your account, such as adding your banking information or changing your mailing address. While the Update Portal doesn’t yet allow you to make changes to your income, marital status and number of dependents, you should be able to do so before the October payment.
The IRS said if you unenroll and then change your mind, you’ll be able to opt back in sometime in late September. Here are the remaining dates by which you would need to unenroll.
For more, here’s everything you need to know about child tax credit requirements and dates and what to do if you need to track down a missing payment. Here’s also what we know about what the spending bills making their way through Congress could mean for you.
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