Rep. Scanlon Urges PA-05 Families to File Taxes Before May 17 to Get Their Advance Child Tax Credit Payments As Soon As Possible119,200 Children in PA-05 Will Benefit from Expanded and Improved CTC in the American Rescue Plan
Chester, PA,
May 11, 2021
Chester, PA – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon today released new data collected by Co-Equal detailing the benefits of the expanded and improved Child Tax Credit (CTC) in Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. The data reveals that 119,200 children will receive the monthly CTC payment. This benefit, included for one year in the American Rescue Plan, will be transformative for middle class families and lift more than 8,500 PA-05 children out of poverty.
As part of the American Rescue Plan Rep. Scanlon helped pass, families could get monthly payments of up to $300 per child beginning as soon as July. Rep. Scanlon is urging hardworking families in PA-05 to file their taxes before the upcoming May 17 deadline to ensure they receive the accurate amount in new advance monthly Child Tax Credit payments they are entitled to as soon as possible.
“Advance monthly payments of the Child Tax Credit will help set America’s children up for success and put more money in the pockets of hardworking parents sooner,” said Rep. Scanlon. “These payments, which will benefit a stunning 119,200 children and their families across the district, will help cover the costs of things like food, childcare, diapers, health care, and clothing. The best way to make sure you and your family get the correct amount as soon as possible is to file a 2020 tax return, before May 17 — even if you don’t normally file.”
In PA-05, 78.2 percent of children in the district will benefit from the monthly CTC checks. Additionally, the expanded and improved CTC lifts 8,500 children in PA-05 out of poverty, 3,900 children out of deep poverty. Because of the larger benefit for the youngest, 2,800 kids under the age of six are raised out of poverty. The average benefit for 37,000 households in PA-05 is $2,700 annually. Families with children in poverty will receive $4,300 on average. This striking data demonstrates the importance of permanently expanding and improving the Child Tax Credit.
“By expanding the Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan to include lower-income families and provide monthly payments, our nation took a step toward not only helping families recover and rebuild from the coronavirus pandemic, but also lifting 8,500 children in PA-05 out of poverty and strengthening the middle class,” said Rep. Scanlon. “Our communities cannot afford to see these payments stop in one year, or even five years. The American Rescue Plan was a step forward, but we must ensure that this improved and expanded Children Tax Credit supports families long after the pandemic. By making these changes permanent, we have the opportunity to lift generations of children out of poverty and help working and middle-class families.”
How Much are the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments? The American Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit to up to $3,600 per child for children ages 0 to 5 and $3,000 per child for children ages 6 to 17.
The American Rescue Plan also authorized advance monthly payments of the Child Tax Credit through December 2021. Beginning as soon as July and running through December, qualifying families can get up to:
Families will get their remaining expanded Child Tax Credit when they file their 2021 tax return.
Who Qualifies for the Child Tax Credit Advance Monthly Payments?
How Can Families Get Help Preparing and Filing their Taxes for Free? Free tax preparation services are generally available until the tax filing deadline. Families should file their taxes before the May 17 deadline even if they do not have earnings to report or do not normally file, because the IRS needs information from tax returns in order to calculate and issue advance monthly payments.
Data on the impact the expanded and improved CTC will have on each Congressional District is available here. More information on Co-Equal’s methodology can be found here.
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