Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana households could begin getting direct payments Thursday, as part of the expanded child tax credits.
It’s all part of the American Rescue Plan, which Congress passed back in March.
The goal is to reduce child poverty in the country by 50%.
“And there hasn’t been a program that has this kind of impact in families, since 1960,” said Congressman Troy Carter (D), 2nd District.
Congressman Carter was in Baton Rouge for a town hall Wednesday, to talk with families about how the new child tax credit expansion works, and who can actually receive these payments.
“You qualify if you make less than $150,000 as a couple, or $75,000 as an individual,” said Rep. Carter.
Beginning July 15 and running through December, families who qualify can get up to:
– 300 dollars a month per child, for children ages 0 to 5
– 250 dollars a month per child, for children ages 6 to 17
“So, it truly is something for everyone. Black, white, Republican, Democrat, it’s an American thing, it’s a Louisiana thing, it’s a people thing,” said the Congressman. “Hoping that we can use it on things that he needs,” said Triniece Finley, who attended the town hall. Finley is a single mom and says every little bit helps when it comes to extra money for her 6-year-old son Logan. “Swimming lessons, and whatever he needs at school and stuff like that,” said Finley. “It sure does, every dollar counts,” said Deshawn Porter, who attended the town hall. Porter is in the same boat, and already has some ideas on what she would use the extra cash for. “School supplies, school uniforms, because these days stuff is so high, you know, we have to sacrifice to get what we have to get,” said Porter. If you’ve filed your tax returns for 2019 or 2020, or if you signed up to receive a stimulus check from the IRS, you will get this money automatically. So, you don’t need to sign up anywhere. “You will probably have this remittance deposited straight into your checking account (if you filed electronically). If you have not filed that way, checks are going to start dropping in the mailbox, so you will get it via mail,” said Rep. Carter. While this is only a 6-month program, Carter is hopeful it will become permanent. But Congress will need some bipartisan support, to do so. “Why shouldn’t we provide resources for people that are here in our country, that are fighting and living in America, the greatest country in the world,” said Troy Carter. Scammers are already finding ways to take money from families who are waiting on those child tax credits. The Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana wants to remind you that the IRS is the only agency dispersing the payments. That means the IRS will not send you a text or email asking for your social security number or personal banking information. So, if you get an odd message asking for that, do not reply. You can visit Congressman Troy Carter’s website for more assistance. If you have questions about these credits, check your status and eligibility, click here. This article was originally published at WAFB by Lester Duhe.