Nonprofit collaborating with White House launches new child tax credit tool

Code for America, a technology nonprofit, announced Wednesday that it has launched a new online tool to help low-income families register for the monthly child tax credit (CTC) payments authorized by President Biden’s coronavirus relief law.

The new tool, GetCTC.org, is a collaboration between Code for America, the White House and Treasury Department. Notable features of the free tool include that it is mobile-friendly and available in both English and Spanish.

“In just two months, it’s already clear that the CTC is having a meaningful impact for working families in America. Now, we want to do all we can to ensure every family has access to the CTC,” David Newville, senior program director for tax benefits at Code for America, said in a news release. “That’s why we’re launching the new GetCTC Portal today in collaborating with the White House and US Department of the Treasury.”

The coronavirus relief law Biden signed in March expands the tax credit for 2021. As part of the expansion, Treasury started making monthly advance payments of the credit in July, disbursing roughly $15 billion to families in each of the last two months. The monthly payments will continue through the end of the year.

The vast majority of eligible families are receiving the monthly payments automatically based on their recent tax returns. A key challenge for the Biden administration is ensuring that eligible families that aren’t required to file tax returns, typically because they have low incomes, also get the monthly payments.

The IRS launched a web tool for nonfilers in June through its partnership with tax-preparation companies in the Free File Alliance. But nonprofits that work with low-income communities raised concerns about the fact that the tool isn’t mobile-friendly or available in Spanish. Code for America’s tool addresses those concerns and gives nonfilers an additional way to sign up for the monthly CTC payments.

Gene Sperling, a White House aide overseeing implementation of Biden’s relief law, said on Twitter that the administration would support Code for America’s tool and promote it on the White House’s webpage about the child tax credit.