Child Tax Credit 2021: What to Do If You're Part of the August IRS Glitch, Schedule of September Payment

The September child tax credit is nearing its delivery schedule. Unfortunately, millions of families have not yet received their July and August payments. IRS confirmed glitches in their system that created massive backlogs on their services.

Eligible parents should have received $600 worth of child tax credit by now. September payments are also expected on the 15th. However, payments might have been delayed instead.

Child Tax Credit 2021: IRS Glitch on Payments

WLWT5 reported details for the delay. They said IRS experienced a glitch in its systems that caused payments to be mailed instead of being directly deposited into accounts. David Wovrosh, a member of the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, said, "The IRS is backlog tremendously right now, I mean, they can try to call, they're usually available until about seven o'clock local time, but you're going to be on the phone for at least an hour trying to get ahold of people. "

Fortunately, there are two ways to track child tax credit payments.

Open Your Child Tax Credit Portal

The IRS launched an online portal that helps people check their eligibility, payment history and update personal information immediately.

To emphasize, users need to log in to their IRS account. They should open the "Processed Payment" section for the child tax credit information. Transactions would be labeled as "CHILDCTC." If the transaction does not reflect on your payment history, then your child tax credit must be delayed in the IRS systems.

Submit a Payment Trace

After checking through the first process, eligible filers who have not received their child tax credit payments should consider filing a payment trace. They could request the trace by downloading and submitting Form 3911.

Note that the IRS decides child tax credit eligibility based on the filer's 2019 or 2020 tax return and their number of dependents. Failing to submit these documents would automatically disqualify you from the program and forfeit the child tax credit payments.

It is also worth mentioning that a second cause for IRS payment delays is wrong banking information or mailing addresses. IRS would have to re-route payments, creating another backlog in the process.

Recipients who might have provided the wrong bank account information could update the changes through IRS online tools. For residents who recently moved or changed address, you have to update both the IRS and USPS database to receive your payments properly

Child Tax Credit September 2021 Schedule of Payment

With two of the payments underway, Cnet reported the last four rounds of child tax credit schedules for this year.

Sept. 15
Oct. 15
Nov. 15
Dec. 15 (last payment of 2021)

IRS released half of the child tax credit budget as recurring monthly payments, with the other half receivable in 2022.

For people experiencing delays with the IRS, you could reconsider canceling the payments altogether and receive the child tax credit in one lump sum instead.