Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Made Too Little To File Taxes? If You Have Children In Your Household You May Be Leaving Money On The Table
A copy of a IRS 1040 tax form.
(
LAist
)
Los Angeles County officials are working to reach families who are eligible for the IRS's child tax credit but haven't yet filed for the funds.
Go Deeper
-
Check out our explainer:
The credit was first issued last year to households and individuals who filed for 2019 and 2020. It gives families $3,600 per child ages 0-6, and $3,000 per child ages 6-17, up to a certain income.
The payment was split into two parts, with the first half issued in 2021 and the second half issued this year.
Support for LAist comes from
How To Get The Money
Households that filed taxes have already received the credit. But households that have not filed didn't — and those are the families L.A. County hopes to reach.
"If they don't file taxes, typically it's because either they are on a fixed income, they're very low income ... or their income is just too low, so they don't owe any taxes for whatever reason," said Gabriela Gomez, a spokesperson for the county's Department of Public Social Services.
Why It Matters
In some cases, Gomez notes, the payments could be life-altering; a family with two children under age six and one over age six, for example, would receive $10,200, provided they meet the income requirements.
Here's what that looked like in 2019:
Support for LAist comes from
(
Courtesy California Budget & Policy Center
)
In order to be eligible, children or dependents must have Social Security numbers.
The IRS has not given a hard deadline for claiming the credit, but have indicated that it will be mid-November.
"This is money that can make a big difference in people's lives," said Gomez. "It's really sad if all these folks who are who qualify for it, if they're not able to access it to me simply because they don't know."
For more information, visit getCTC.org.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist