The second child tax credit check has now been sent out, with four more on the way from the IRS through the end of this year. About $15 billion was distributed via the second child tax credit stimulus payments to around 36 million families last week. And as we noted in this previous post, data shows these checks are having a big impact on poverty in America. But that also doesn’t mean the distribution has necessarily gone off without a hitch.
For example, the IRS wants to make recipients aware of one unexpected “issue.” Some people who got the first child tax credit check in July as a direct deposit were sent the August payment in the form of a paper check. It’s not clear why. But as you might imagine, the paper checks take longer to arrive. The tax agency says the issue impacted less than 15% of the July direct deposit recipients.
Child tax credit check update
More importantly, the IRS also says that the issue behind the snafu should be resolved by the time the September payments start going out. That will happen on September 15. And for those impacted, no additional action is needed for the payments to revert back to direct deposits.
Families can visit the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to see if they’re receiving a direct deposit or paper check this month.
There’s also something else you should keep in mind. Since the third child tax credit payment is going out less than a month from now. Any change to the information the IRS has on file for you needs to be done by August 30. If you want to receive the next check on time, that is.
This includes, for example, making sure your correct banking details are on file. So that your payments can come more quickly, in the form of a direct deposit.
Deadline
Don’t worry, though: If you’re eligible to receive a stimulus check, you will get one. Without any action needed on your part.
There are, however, specific scenarios wherein you’d need to be aware of the August 30 deadline. For example, if you haven’t filed a tax return yet, which is the main triggering event for receiving these payments. The IRS looks at your last tax return to calculate your eligibility and the size of your payments.
For people whose income is too low to normally file taxes, the Non-Filer Sign-Up tool is available until October 15.
Also visit the link to the update portal above if you need to make other changes, like changes related to your bank details. “A change made by 11:59 pm ET on August 30 will apply starting with the September payment,” the IRS says.
