Some families were set to receive $600 this month instead of $300 because it was their first month filing. Many who opted in this way aren’t regular tax filers.
Unfortunately many families did not get the payment. A glitch in September left 2% of families without checks they were supposed to get. Many families express frustration because they depended on the checks to arrive in a timely fashion.
Some people not only missed September’s check, but didn’t get October’s either. This left a small number of families doubly in trouble.
It was a technical glitch that left 700,000 families without last month, so if you didn’t get them at all there are a few things you could try.
How to find missing Child Tax Credits
The online portal is available to check the status of checks.
Payments can be viewed as well as checking whether you’re enrolled in the advanced Child Tax Credit program.
To check you need an IRS username as well as an ID.me account.
It’s also important to be sure your information is up to date. If an address, bank account, or other important detail is outdated it can mean you didn’t get it for October due to a change in information.
The issue could be on the IRS’ end as well- some parents said they updated their information then never received payments after that.
Some families didn’t file their taxes, and they had until Oct. 15 to register as a non-filer.
If they missed signing up, they can use GetCTC.org which was created in September. If families use this tool before Nov. 15 they will get all the missed payments in December from July on.
Related: October child tax credits have started going out following late payments from the IRS in September
If the deadline passes, families will need to file taxes even if they’re non-filers.
Finally, contacting the IRS is worth a try. The IRS does not have a line just for Child Tax Credits, so you’ll have to call their tax number at 800-829-1040.
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