Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV

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Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Roxy Caines
                                 Get it Back Campaign Director

   Helping Families Get          Christine Tran
                                 Outreach Intern

Stimulus & Child Tax Credit      Center on Budget &
        Payments                 Policy Priorities

    What to Know & How to Help
                                 www.eitcoutreach.org

June 15, 2021
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Center on     Nonpartisan research and policy institute
Budget and     We pursue federal and state policies designed
     Policy    both to reduce poverty and inequality in
               equitable and effective ways.
  Priorities   www.cbpp.org
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
National effort to connect eligible workers to tax
              benefits
Get It Back   Promote the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child
              Tax Credit, free tax preparation, and other tax
 Campaign     benefits
              Work with a network of diverse partners
              www.eitcoutreach.org
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Background
        Importance of Outreach
        Stimulus Payments & CTC Basics
Today   The Portals
        How to Help
        Troubleshooting
        Q&A
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Check-in Question

Please respond to the following question in the chat:

            Where are you joining from?
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Background
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
The American Rescue Plan

• Temporarily extends the CTC for Tax Year
  2021
   o Reduces child poverty by 45%
     o Larger reductions for Black, Hispanic,
       & Native American children
     o Children in deep poverty

• Includes advance payments starting in July
  2021

• 3rd round of stimulus checks with expanded
  eligibility requirements
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Why is Outreach Important?
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Why is Stimulus Check Outreach Needed Now?

• About 8 million eligible families still haven’t received the first stimulus check,
  according to the U.S. Treasury (January 2021)

• People can now qualify for three rounds of payments even if they do not have
  income:
   First stimulus:   $1,200
   Second stimulus: $ 600
   Third stimulus: + $1,400
                     $3,200
• You must file a tax return to get the payments
Helping Families Get Stimulus & Child Tax Credit Payments - What to Know & How to Help - NNEDV
Why is Child Tax Credit Outreach Needed Now?

• 88% of children (65 million children) in 39 million households will automatically get the
  advance payments, according to the IRS

• The remaining 12% of children include families who are:
   o Very low-income, earn less than $2,500
   o Non-filers (people who aren’t normally required to file taxes)
   o Didn’t receive stimulus payments
   o Likely to participate in SNAP
   o New parents

• VITA sites are swamped and at low-capacity
Trusted Partners Are Essential for Outreach

1. Know the community

2. Have an established relationship

3. Connect clients to the CTC
Stimulus Payments Basics
What’s Different about Eligibility for the Third Stimulus Checks?

  • Expanded Taxpayer Identification
    Number requirements allow
    more families with immigrants to
    qualify
     o 2.2 million children who were
      previously left out of payments
      are now eligible

  • All dependents, regardless of
    age, qualify for an additional
    payment of $1,400
What’s Different about Eligibility for the Third Stimulus Checks?
                               First and Second Stimulus
                               Check                              Third Stimulus Check
        Non-Military Family    If one spouse doesn’t have an      Any family member or
                               SSN, the spouse with an SSN        dependent with an SSN or
                               and qualifying children with an    ATIN can get the stimulus.
                               SSN or ATIN can get the            Dependents (any age) with
                               stimulus.                          SSNs or ATINs still qualify for
                               Children (under 17) can only       the stimulus even if their
                               get the stimulus if at least one   parents don’t have SSNs.
                               parent has an SSN.

        Military Family        If one spouse doesn’t have an      If one spouse doesn’t have an
                               SSN, both spouses                  SSN, both spouses
                               can receive the stimulus           can receive the stimulus
                               (including the spouse without      (including the spouse without
                               an SSN). Qualifying children       an SSN). Dependents (any
                               (under 17) with an SSN or          age) with an SSN or ATIN also
                               ATIN can also get the              qualify for the stimulus.
                               stimulus.

           www.eitcoutreach.org/blog/what-to-know-about-the-third-stimulus-checks
Child Tax Credit Basics
What’s New About the CTC?

1. Expanded age limit
2. Increased credit amount
3. Fully refundable
4. No income requirement
5. Advance payments
6. Lower phase-out rate
CTC Comparison
                       $2,000 CTC (current)                               Expanded CTC (new)

Age of      Children age 16 and under can qualify for the     Children age 17 and under can qualify for the
child       credit                                            credit
Credit      $2,000 per child                                  $3,000 per child and $3,600 for children under the
Amount                                                        age of 6
Refund      Up to $1,400 per child is refundable              Fully refundable
Amount
Income      You must have earned income more than $2,500 No income requirement, you can have zero
            to qualify for the refundable part of the credit income and still qualify for the full credit amount
                                                             per child
Advance No advance payments                                   Monthly advance payments between July to
Payments                                                      December 2021

Phase Out The CTC amount starts to decrease at $200,000 The CTC amount starts to decrease at $75,000 for
Rate      for single filers and heads of households     single filers ($150,000 for married couples and
            ($400,000 for married couples)                    $112,500 for heads of households)

                https://www.eitcoutreach.org/tax-credits/child-tax-credit/whats-new-about-
                                       the-child-tax-credit-in-2021/
Calculating the CTC

• Propel is creating a
  calculator
   o ChildTaxCredit.com
   o Site will be live this
    month

• Kiplinger’s 2021 Child
  Tax Credit Calculator
Eligibility
Who is Eligible for the CTC?
1. No income requirement

2. Parent or caregiver must have
an SSN or ITIN

3. Qualifying child
   o Relationship
   o Age must be 17 or under on
     Dec 31, 2021
   o Residency
   o SSN
   o Dependent
Getting Advance CTC Payments
NO ACTION REQUIRED IF:                   ACTION REQUIRED IF:

•   Filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return    • Didn’t file a 2019 or 2020 tax return
                                         or
•   Used the 2020 IRS Non-filer Tool   • Didn’t receive stimulus payments
    to receive stimulus payments
                                       MUST SUBMIT INFO TO IRS:
                                         o Use the IRS Non-Filer Portal if
                                           not required to file taxes
                                         o File a 2020 tax return if
                                           required to file taxes
Advance payments will be delivered through direct deposit,
                    debit card, or paper check
(If someone received their stimulus checks as direct deposit, they'll
        likely receive advance payments in the same way)
The Portals
IRS Non-Filer Portal

             What We Know                            What We Don't Know

• Register for advance payments                • IRS guidance available on using the
   o Submit information about kids and their     portal
     ages

• Claim stimulus checks

• Do not need specific documents to use

• You don’t have to submit bank account
  information or a permanent address
Child Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC UP)

               What We Know                               What We Don't Know

• Opt-out of advance payments                      • Date when additional portal features will
                                                     be available
• Eventually, people will be able to update life
  changes                                          • Resolution for children claimed by more
   o Income                                          than one person
   o Marital status
   o # of children
   o Bank account

• Safe harbor protection to prevent over
  payment

• Identity Verification through ID.me
How to Help
Spread the Word!

1. Send informational mailers using your
   organization’s contact list

2. Display flyers in your organization’s office
   and distribute them to clients you interact
   with

3. Contact clients via email or text about the
   CTC advance payments

4. Post on your organization’s social media
   channels about the CTC and how to get
   advance payments
Help People Submit their Information to the IRS to get
Advance Payments
1. Help people assess what they need to
   do
   • Non-filer portal vs. file a tax return
2. Assist people to use the Non-Filer
   portal
3. Support people with tax filing
   through GetYourRefund.org or
   MyFreeTaxes.com
4. Partner with Code for America to
   become a Navigator to help people
   use GetYourRefund.org
Troubleshooting
Challenges You May See & What You Can Do
The Digital Divide
• Challenge: people may lack access to technology or have challenges using it
  Opportunity:
    o Provide tech assistance to fill out the form
    o Provide tech like computers or iPads

• Challenge: lack email address
  Opportunity:
    o Help create email accounts
        ▪ 10minuteemail.com or Guerillamail.com

• Challenge: lack permanent address
  Opportunity:
    o Offer your org's address
        ▪ Become an IRS Trusted Partner
    o Help people connect to a banking product
Challenges You May See & What You Can Do
Mixed-Status Families

• Challenge: immigrants are concerned about whether tax filing will put their families in harm
  Opportunity:
    o Reassure families:
        ▪ IRS cannot share info with ICE
        ▪ Tax filing doesn’t impact immigration status

• Challenge: people need to apply for or renew their ITIN
   Opportunity:
    o Help people renew or apply for an ITIN
    o Expect delays
Challenges You May See & What You Can Do
Complex Family Situations
• Challenge: multiple people may appear eligible to claim a child for the CTC (DV,
  shared custody, child changes households)
  Opportunity:
    o Help people to file a 2020 tax return or use CTC UP
    o Refer them to a Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic

Predatory Practices & Scams
• Challenge: people are creative when it comes to money
Opportunity:
    o Stay alert and communicate with NNEDV
    o Visit IRS website and www.fraud.org
Resources
Toolkit for Stimulus Check Outreach to
           Immigrant Families

                 eitcoutreach.org/coronavirus

                 Not just for reaching immigrants!
Toolkit for Stimulus Check Outreach to
                           Immigrant Families

• Media guide                     • Sample flyer – customizable and in 6
                                    languages (English, Spanish, Chinese,
                                    Arabic, Vietnamese, French)
• Talking points for media

                                  • Social media graphics – customizable,
• Press release template            sized
                                    for Twitter/Facebook/Instagram and in 6
• Sample media pitch                languages

                                  • Social media language
• Sample radio PSA script

                                  • Sample text message

                                  • Sample email
CTC Resources

CTC FAQs: What's New about the Child Tax Credit in 2021

CTC OUTREACH MATERIALS:
• Customizable social media templates
• Phone scripts and text scripts
• Flyers
• Templates

RESOURCES:
• Guides and trainings on using the portals

2021 Stimulus Checks and Tax Credit Outreach Resources
Government Resources

IRS: Advance Child Tax Credit Payments in 2021

NON-FILER PORTAL: Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool

WHITE HOUSE: www.ChildTaxCredit.gov
Stay Connected!

Get It Back Campaign
Center on Budget and
Policy Priorities
eitcoutreach@cbpp.org
(202) 408-1080

www.eitcoutreach.org
                                  http://eepurl.com/gdIHn1
Poll Time
How are you likely to engage CTC
       outreach efforts?
Questions?

             41
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