When will the child tax credit payments start? Here’s a timeline and what you

Families with qualifying dependents who are eligible for the child tax credit may be seeing their first payments as early as July. While the IRS hasn’t released the exact dates for the payments, the rollout will begin this summer. The agency hasn’t yet indicated whether you will have time to update your income or number of dependents using a projected online portal prior to receiving the first payment. 

We can tell you how much money your family can expect to get per child with CNET’s child tax credit calculator. We can also tell you about eligibility requirements, how to opt out of monthly payments (if you want just one lump sum) and how your adjusted gross income factors into the equation. If you have shared custody of a child or if you’re the parents of babies born in 2021, you’ll need to be informed of certain rules. 

We can also suggest some ways to use your child tax credit money when it arrives and tell you how to claim up to $16,000 in child care expenses. If your $1,400 stimulus check or plus-up payment hasn’t arrived, you can track your check and report a problem. We recommend seeing if your state owes you money and if you qualify for getting up to $50,000 back in 2021. Also, here’s the latest on a fourth stimulus check and more about how the next stimulus plan could bring you money. This story was updated recently.

When can I expect the first child tax credit payments?

The IRS said the first child tax credit payments will begin arriving in July, but the agency hasn’t announced a specific start date yet. We don’t know if the payments will be released in batches for different groups like how the stimulus check money is divvied up, or all at once for everyone who qualifies. We also don’t know if they’ll come earlier in the month, say the first day, or later — for example, July 15. 

What we do know is that the checks are on track to arrive monthly through December. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect. We’ll update this chart when we learn more about the payment delivery dates.