Overview
In January 2022, the IRS will send you Letter 6419 to provide the total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments that were disbursed to you during 2021. Please keep this letter regarding your advance Child Tax Credit payments with your tax records. You may need to refer to this letter when you file your 2021 tax return during the 2022 tax filing season.
For more information regarding this letter and how to reconcile your advance Child Tax Credit payments with your Child Tax Credit on your 2021 return, see Topic H: Reconciling Your Advance Child Tax Credit Payments on Your 2021 Tax Return.
Advance Child Tax Credit payments are not income and will not be reported as income on your 2021 tax return. Advance Child Tax Credit payments are advance payments of your tax year 2021 Child Tax Credit.
However, the total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments that you receive during 2021 is based on the IRS’s estimate of your 2021 Child Tax Credit. If the total is greater than the Child Tax Credit amount that you are allowed to claim on your 2021 tax return, you may have to repay the excess amount on your 2021 tax return during the 2022 tax filing season. For example, if you receive advance Child Tax Credit payments for two qualifying children properly claimed on your 2020 tax return, but you no longer have qualifying children in 2021, the advance Child Tax Credit payments that you received based on those children are added to your 2021 income tax unless you qualify for repayment protection. For more information regarding your eligibility for repayment protection, and how to reconcile your advance Child Tax Credit payments with your Child Tax Credit on your 2021 tax return, see Topic H: Reconciling Your Advance Child Tax Credit Payments on Your 2021 Tax Return.
For this reason, you may wish to unenroll from receiving advance Child Tax Credit payments. You can unenroll through the Child Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC UP). For more information regarding the CTC UP, see Topic F: Updating Your Child Tax Credit Information During 2021.
When you file your 2021 tax return during the 2022 tax filing season, you will need to compare:
The total amount of the advance Child Tax Credit payments that you received during 2021; with
The amount of the Child Tax Credit that you can properly claim on your 2021 tax return.
Excess Child Tax Credit Amount: If the amount of your Child Tax Credit exceeds the total amount of your advance Child Tax Credit payments, you can claim the remaining amount of your Child Tax Credit on your 2021 tax return.
Excess Advance Child Tax Credit Payment Amount: If you receive a total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments that exceed the amount of Child Tax Credit that you can properly claim on your 2021 tax year, you may need to repay to the IRS some or all of that excess payment.
In January 2022, the IRS will send you Letter 6419 to provide the total amount of advance Child Tax Credit payments that were disbursed to you during 2021. Please keep this letter regarding your advance Child Tax Credit payments with your tax records. You may need to refer to this letter when you file your 2021 tax return during the 2022 tax filing season.
Will I need to repay Advanced Child Tax Credit if the payments received were greater than the amount allowed?
If you qualify for the repayment protection described in this Topic H, you will be excused from repaying some or all of the excess amount. If you do not qualify for repayment protection, you will need to report the entire excess amount on your 2021 tax return as additional income tax. This additional income tax will reduce the amount of your tax refund or increase your total tax due for 2021.
You won’t qualify for any repayment protection if your modified AGI is at or above the amounts listed below based on the filing status on your 2021 tax return.
$120,000 if you are married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
$100,000 if you are filing as head of household; and
$80,000 if you are a single filer or are married and filing a separate return.
For information on the definition of modified AGI, see Topic C: Calculation of the 2021 Child Tax Credit.
A6. You qualify for full repayment protection and won’t need to repay any excess amount if your main home was in the United States for more than half of 2021 and your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2021 is at or below the following amount based on the filing status on your 2021 tax return:
$60,000 if you are married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
$50,000 if you are filing as head of household; and
$40,000 if you are a single filer or are married and filing a separate return.
Your repayment protection may be limited if your modified AGI exceeds these amounts or your main home was not in the United States for more than half of 2021.
For more on the definition of your main home, see Topic B: Eligibility for Advance Child Tax Credit Payments and the 2021 Child Tax Credit. For information on the definition of modified AGI, see Topic C: Calculation of the 2021 Child Tax Credit.