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A new feature just added to the IRS’ Child Tax Credit Update Portal allows users receiving the advance credit payments to change their mailing addresses. The Internal Revenue Service says this should speed up the process for taxpayers who get their advance payments by paper check, heading off late-arriving checks or even having a check returned as undeliverable.
For new addresses to take effect by the time September payments are sent on the 15th, address changes have to be posted on the portal before midnight Eastern Time on Monday, August 30.
Taxpayers can still make changes after the August 30 deadline, but that change won’t take effect until the following monthly payment in October.
Stay current with the IRS
When the Child Tax Credit Update Portal is used to change a taxpayer’s mailing address, the IRS then uses the new address for all future correspondence. As we mentioned, this can be important for taxpayers who get their advance credit payments by paper check in the mail, but others benefit from having current addresses on file as well.
The IRS says it will mail a year-end summary—Letter 6419—to all the taxpayers who received advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021. For this summary to reach the correct taxpayers, it’s vital that these families give their correct mailing addresses to the IRS.
Letter 6419 is important to these families because they’ll need the letter when they fill out their 2021 income tax return next year.
Since in most cases, families will receive only half of their available credit through the advance payments, taxpayers will have to claim the remaining credit on their 2021 return – and that’s where Letter 6419 comes in.
Even more features coming to the portal
The Internal Revenue Service says it’s continuing to develop the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to better serve the needs of taxpayers. The portal, which is available only on IRS.gov, already allows taxpayers to verify eligibility for the advance Child Tax Credit. Once verified, users can choose to:
- Switch from receiving a paper check to direct deposit;
- Change the account where their payment is direct deposited; or
- Stop monthly payments for the rest of 2021.
Features of the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, however, won’t stop there. The IRS says it’s working on features that will allow users to add or remove children in most situations, to report a change in marital status, and to report a significant change in income.
For the latest information on the Child Tax Credit and its advance payments, see the IRS’ special Advance Child Tax Credit 2021 web page at IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021.
The web page has updated frequently asked questions and Publication 5549, IRS User Guide: Child Tax Credit Update Portal, along with direct links to the portal and to the Non-Filer Sign Up Tool and the Child Tax Credit Eligibility Assistant.
Source: IR-2021-171