New Post September 3, 2021: President Biden's Administration has asked all school districts to share important news and tools to ensure families receive their portion of the Advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) made possible by the American Rescue Plan. Estimates suggest that about seven million children and their families who are eligible for the CTC have not received the credit. The Council and the Administration are aware that many of the children have caregivers who may not have filed taxes recently or may be apprehensive about signing up for the CTC through a federal portal. So, if you have yet to take advantage of this benefit, and you don't know whether you and your child(ren) are eligible, check the following links to determine if you qualify, and sign up as soon as you can.

Helpful links:

• ChildTaxCredit - This link is a one-stop shop for information about the CTC.
• Q&A About the Advance Child Tax Credit Payments - NOTE: The information on this link is relevant to the Child Tax Credit for the 2021 tax year. See the next link for information on claiming the Child Tax Credit for 2021.
• Not too late to claim 2021 Child Tax Credit - This link contains more information on claiming the 2021 Child Tax Credit even if you have not filed for 2021.
• ZIP Code-Level Data on Eligible Non-Filers from the U.S. Department of the Treasury

The California Revenue and Taxation Code (RTC) Section 19853(b) requires local educational agencies (LEA) that operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to annually notify households about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Information Act. The EITC is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. They must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if taxes are not owed or households are not required to file, to qualify. The EITC reduces the amount of tax households owe and may allow for a refund.