(Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) — U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan urges families to file their taxes before the upcoming May 17 deadline to ensure that individuals with eligible children can receive the new advanced monthly Child Tax Credit payments established by the American Rescue Plan.
“The last two years have shown the importance of filing your taxes to be eligible for the economic impact payments and other federal aid,” Congressman Sablan said. “Now, it is important that families with children file their taxes by the May 17, 2021 deadline, so they will be eligible for the advanced monthly child tax payments — even if they don’t have earnings to report or don’t normally file.
“Of course, this all depends on the Governor and whether he decides to use the authority to issue advance monthly payments that I included for the Marianas in the American Rescue Plan. He is also eligible to receive federal funds to administer the monthly payments, so there should be no reason for him to turn down this important opportunity that would mean so much to families in the Marianas.”
Qualifying families can get up to $300 a month per child for children ages 0 to 5 and $250 a month per child for children ages 6 to 17, starting as early as this summer and until the end of the year, if the Governor decides to take on the extra work of monthly payments. Otherwise the new, expanded Child Tax Credit will be issued as a lump sum next year after families file their 2021 tax returns.
The American Rescue Plan removed the earnings requirement to be eligible to receive the child tax credit, so any individual or family, even if they do not earn any income, may qualify for the payments, if they have eligible children.
Congress also expanded the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to up to $3,600 per child for children ages 0 to 5 and $3,000 per child for children ages 6 to 17. Families will qualify for the full credit if their income is below $75,000 for single filers, $112,000 for people filing as head of household, or $150,000 for people who are married and filing jointly.
To be eligible, children must have a Social Security number, be claimed on the tax filer’s tax return, live with the tax filer for at least half of the year, and be under age 18 as of December 31, 2021. The adult filing taxes must, also, have a Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.
