IRS Freezes Filing Tool for Child Tax Credit as Agency Fears Turmoil During Tax Season

(Photo : Tim Boyle)
Tax Preparation Gets Underway Ahead Of April Deadline
DES PLAINES, IL - MARCH 23: The top of a form 1040 individual income tax return for 2005 is seen atop a stack on the same at the Des Plaines Public Library March 23, 2006 in Des Plaines, Illinois. Americans are preparing for the income tax filing deadline next month whether using tax software, filing on the paper forms or using a tax preparer. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

The White House has temporarily disabled its Child Tax Credit online tool until the conclusion of the tax season, citing misunderstanding about who should use it, according to the Biden administration.

The widget was designed for low-income households earning less than $12,400 per person and $24,800 per couple who aren't obliged to file a tax return but may still receive the child tax credit payments by entering basic household information.

Why the IRS Freezes Tool for Child Tax Credit Payments?

In the first two months after the portal's introduction, 114,000 households utilized it, according to Code for America, which designed it for the federal government.

However, the GetCTC service will not be available until April 18, after ending the filing season. Users can only sign up for portal updates, and non-filers who want to collect their child tax credit payments will have to either file a return or wait a long time for help.

According to Gene Sperling, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, problems arose because people who were required to file returns used the non-filer portal to claim their child tax credit and then filed a regular return, essentially double-filing, which caused confusion for the IRS's understaffed staff and caused delays, as per NBC Miami.

From July through December of last year, improved credits granted by the American Rescue Plan gave qualified parents up to $3,600 for a kid under the age of six and up to $3,000 for children aged six to seventeen.

This translated to a monthly payout of $250 or $300 for each kid to parents. When these families submit their tax returns this year, they will be eligible for the second half of the tax credit money.

There is even talk of extending these well-liked credits. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has suggested a cash benefit program with job restrictions connected to the monthly payouts to get greater bipartisan support.

The Family Security Act seeks to provide $350 per child to qualified families with children under the age of five and $250 per child to households with children aged five to seventeen, according to National Interest.

What to Do With Your Taxes?

When you sit down to do your taxes, make sure you have all of your documentation in one location. You don't want to waste time looking for information once you've gotten started. "Get your W-2 and W-9," Ruhle said. "Put everything in one place that you earned interest on this year, including any charity deductions, and let's get started."

The next step is to select whether you'll itemize your deductions or accept the standard deduction. The standard deduction for solo taxpayers has increased to $12,550, $18,800 for heads of households, and $25,100 for married couples filing jointly this year.

Depending on your income, you may be qualified for the IRS's Free File program, which provides free tax preparation and electronic filing. To determine if you qualify for this service, go to IRS.gov.

Any modifications you and your family made in the previous year may have resulted in larger tax deductions. Have you gotten married yet? If this is the case, you should consider filing jointly as a married couple. If you do this, make sure you have those crucial, if often tough, financial talks beforehand, Today reported.