More than 36 million families would have received the first installment of the child tax credit (CTC) payment yesterday. In case there was any issue with your CTC coronavirus stimulus check, or you didn’t get the payment, the IRS has an online portal to help you track the payment.
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Most families who have banking information on file with the IRS, would have gotten the first installment of the CTC yesterday morning. In case you didn’t get the payment, you can easily track the payment. Similar to the tracking tool for the stimulus check and tax refund, the IRS has come up with a portal to help families track their monthly child tax credit payment.
If you didn’t get the payment via direct deposit, then the first thing you need to check is if your bank account information with the IRS is correct or not. In case the agency doesn’t have your bank details or the details aren’t updated, then you need to use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal.
If you were unable to update your information in time for the July payment, then you will likely get the July payment via a mailed check. Still, you must update your bank account information to ensure you get the August payment via direct deposit. To make sure you get the August payment via direct deposit, you need to update the banking information before August 2.
You won’t be able to update your mailing address using the Child Tax Credit Update Portal. The IRS will likely come up with a tool to update mailing addresses soon.
How to track the CTC?
The monthly child tax credit payment will hit the bank accounts of eligible recipients on the 15th of every month, except in August, when the 15th falls in a Sunday. Those who didn’t receive the payment by the 15th can use the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to track their payment.
This portal will also show a recipient's processed monthly payment history. Soon, the portal will be updated to show whether or not the recipient has received the payment. To use the portal, you will have to register with your IRS username and ID.me account information. Also, first time users will have to use a photo ID to complete the registration.
Once you register and are logged in, go to the Processed Payments section of the Child Tax Credit Update Portal to get an update on your payment. Moreover, you must also check if your address and banking information are correct, especially if you recently changed banks or your address.
If the portal doesn’t offer enough details, you can also request a payment trace. You can request the trace if it’s been at least five days since the IRS sent the payment, but your bank hasn't received the payment.
