Treasury and White House officials along with Code for America announced yesterday their collaboration and launch of the new Child Tax Credit sign-up tool, GetCTC.org.

                By                    Georgina Tzanetos

See: Just Four More Child Tax Credit Payments Are Arriving This Year – Here Are All The Important Dates Find: July’s Child Tax Credit Cut Child Poverty Rate 25% Which Makes Compelling Case for Extension

The new tool is separate from the two sign-up tools provided by the IRS. Administration officials emphasized that the launch of this tool is the latest step in a massive effort to assist more Americans who do not regularly file taxes to claim their CTC. The IRS has a similar tool, called the Non-Filer Sign-Up Tool which allows those who do not normally file taxes to do so and/or simply register for the credit, but it is not mobile-friendly or bilingual.

The IRS tool has been criticized for its barriers to entry for low-income or bilingual residents whose cell phones are their main connection to the internet. GetCTC.org solves this problem, as the site is designed to be accessed entirely from mobile phones. The process is completed in about 20-25 slides, and the form can be accessed from both a desktop and a mobile device.

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The first two payments, which went out in July and August, have already begun to make their impact. Treasury and White House officials highlighted recent data showing how the advance monthly tax credit is helping families from the most basic expenses like paying dental bills to afterschool and summer activities and even getting extra help for school. According to the Census Household Pulse Survey, food instability among all families with children fell by 24% immediately after the first payments went out. Another analysis, this time from Columbia University, found that low-income families with children who received the first monthly payment experienced a 43% decline in food insufficiency.

The new mobile-friendly GetCTC.org makes receiving these life-changing payments far easier and more accessible for the families who need them most. The Biden administration will link to the new signup portal and, over the coming weeks, will also host training on the new portal for the public sector and community-based organizations seeking to enroll non-filers in the credit.

See: Didn’t Get Your Child Tax Credit? Here’s How to Track It DownFind: Are You Actually Spending Your Child Tax Credit Payment? Take Our Poll

As a reminder, regardless of income or whether or not you normally file taxes, anyone can sign up for and receive the child tax credit. The credit is fully refundable, meaning you will not have to pay it back nor will it affect your taxes this year or next.

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