PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City leaders want parents to know time is winding down to take advantage of thousands of dollars being offered through the Child Tax Credit Program.
The deadline is coming November 15 for people to apply for up to $3,600 for children ages 5 and younger, and $3,000 for older children up to age 17.
Beth McConnell of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity said many families started receiving advance payments in July.
"There are potentially thousands of Philadelphia families who are not receiving the payments but are eligible, and the reason why they’re not receiving them is because they probably didn’t have to file taxes in 2020," said McConnell.
"The IRS doesn’t know that they’re out there and that they have kids, and they’re eligible for this payment."
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She said so far, nearly $4 million has been given out.
"The great thing about these payments is that you can spend it on whatever your family needs," said McConnell.
"Maybe that’s catching up on rent or utilities, maybe it’s food. And in fact, we’re finding a lot of families who have experienced food insecurity before are now reporting they’re not experiencing that food insecurity, because the Child Tax Credit payment is helping them fill their fridges."
Parents can apply by clicking here.
The Campaign for Working Families can help with the application process and filing taxes, which is necessary to receive the second half of the payment.
The money doesn’t have to be paid back, and it won’t impact other benefits such as SNAP, SSI and Medicaid.
