Last Updated August 10, 2022

You can access the following elected officials and Child Tax Credit guidance as a Google doc here.

The 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion provides a historic opportunity to reduce child poverty in the United States by more than 40 percent. Nearly every family is eligible to receive the expanded Child Tax Credit this year, including families who haven’t filed a tax return and families who don’t have recent income. Even though the tax season has ended, eligible families can claim the CTC through November 15, 2022. Your continued outreach efforts are needed!

The expanded Child Tax Credit provides each qualifying household up to $3,600 for each child under age 6 and $3,000 for each child between 6 and 17. The credit is not a loan, and it does not change eligibility for public benefits.

Families that received the first half of the CTC through advance payments in 2021, must file a 2021 tax return to get the remainder of the credit. Families that did not get the advance payments last year, can get the full Child Tax Credit by filing a 2021 tax return.

Elected officials are well-positioned for CTC outreach. You can use your connections with various entities to galvanize outreach efforts and educate the public. A robust outreach campaign could bring millions of dollars in much needed support to the most vulnerable families.

Here are five ways elected officials can engage CTC outreach efforts.

1. Post CTC information online. Add information about the credit and how to get it to websites, online portals, and mobile apps.
2. Incorporate CTC information in phone interactions. Record a hold message for callers waiting to connect to municipal services.
3. Include CTC messaging in written client communications. Send newsletters or emails to residents alerting them about the credit and how to get it. Include flyers or postcards in regular mailings. Use multilingual materials available in Arabic, Chinese, Creole, French, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
4. Post CTC information on social media. Use this social media toolkit to share information about the credit on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. And use these multilingual social media posts to share content in Arabic, Chinese, Creole, French, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
5. Broadcast CTC information in media. Record a public service announcement about the credit Talk about it on radio or TV interviews.

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