Internal Revenue Service Issues Letter 6419 for Those Who Received Child Tax Credit Money Last Year
The tax season began January 24, 2022, and you may be thinking you’re ready to go ahead and file your 2021 taxes. Well, there might be one more document coming from the Internal Revenue Service if you and your family received advance child tax credit money last year – Letter 6419.
The IRS began issuing these important letters in December, but according to USA Today, many people still hadn’t received their letters as of January 19, 2022. Still, it is important that, if you believe you’re going to receive that letter, you keep an eye out for it.
So, who is going to receive a Letter 6419 from the IRS?
Letter 6419 will be sent to any qualifying family that received payments from the child tax credit from July 2021 to December 2021.
The advance child tax credit payments were a temporary expanded program where families would receive half of their child tax credit over the course of six months in 2021 – July to December. The payments included up to $300 a month for each child through age 5 and up to $250 a month for each child ages 6 to 17.
The other half of the tax credit will be claimed on your 2021 tax return. Even if you didn’t make enough money to file an income tax return, the IRS states that you might still be eligible for extra money from the child tax credit.
Advance Child Tax Credit Eligibility
“Even if you had $0 in income, you could have received advance Child Tax Credit payments if you were eligible,” said the IRS.
Nevertheless, if you received a Letter 6419, you will go ahead and file a Schedule 8812 with your tax return, using the information from Box 1, in order to claim any remaining money from the child tax credit.
According to the IRS, if you were eligible for the credit, but you didn’t receive the monthly payments in 2021, you can still claim the full amount on your taxes. If you have any children under the age of 5, the total tax credit amounts to up to $3,600 per child, and up to $3,000 for qualifying children ages 6 to 17.
If you made significantly more income in 2021 though, the child tax credit returned may be less.
What does the document look like?
Letter 6419 (Click here to view letter) is a single page, black and white document that will have the IRS logo in the top left corner of the document, and it is issued by the Department of Treasury. The top of the letter will have the heading “2021 Total Advance Child Tax Credit (AdvCTC) Payments”.
The document will note towards the top that it should be saved for filing with your 2021 income tax return. If you’re a married couple filing a joint tax return, and you both receive a Letter 6419, it is important that you keep both documents, according to April Walker, lead manager for tax practice and ethics with the American Institute of CPAs.
“If you file a joint return for tax year 2021, you must add the amounts in Box 1 from both Letters 6419 and enter the total amount on Schedule 8812,” according to the instructions posted on IRS.gov.
Alright, I qualify and I want to file my taxes. When should I be receiving my letter?
The IRS started sending Letter 6419 in January, so you could be receiving your letter any day now, now that we are in tax season. However, if you don’t want to wait for your letter to arrive, you can access the information you need through the IRS’s “Child Tax Credit Update Portal Site“, though you will need to set up an account with the IRS website.
Can I file my taxes without Letter 6419?
You file your taxes without having received the letter, but you need to be sure you file a Schedule 8812 with your taxes, and that the number you input for the total dollar amount of payments received over the 6 month period matches what the IRS has on file. Otherwise, it may take considerably longer to receive your tax return.
According to the notes on Schedule 8812, on Line 14f: “Caution: If the amount on this line doesn’t match the aggregate amounts reported to you (and your spouse if filing jointly) on your Letter(s) 6419, the processing of your return will be delayed”.
Antonio Brown, a CPA in Flint, Michigan, told USA Today that it is okay to not have the letter when filing your taxes, but be sure you have the correct amount of child tax credit payments received, as well as how many dependents the money from those payments covered.
More Information at the IRS Advance Child Tax Credit Payment Portal
For more information regarding Letter 6419 and the advance child tax credit, you can visit the IRS Advance Child Tax Credit Payment Portal.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: I want to thank Kaylyn Hohn for writing this blog article. She is our newest paralegal and is doing excellent work at HCM&M! Thanks again Kaylyn!
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Attorney Robert “Chip” Mues has been focusing his legal practice throughout Southwest Ohio primarily in divorce and family law matters since 1978. Chip is passionate about family law and has proudly published the Ohio Family Law Blog since 2007. In addition, he is the managing partner of Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight & Mues. To learn more about him or the law firm, visit the firm’s website at www.hcmmlaw.com. Appointments are available in person, over the phone or by Zoom. Call us at 937 293-2141.