Yes and no depending on your circumstances. I know that many people are worried about whether or not they will have to pay back the CTC (child tax credit) that they received from the IRS for the past six months. Well, the research analyst in me did some research because most of my followers are moms and I know this money helped them. I have found many variations of the same answer which is basically “No”. The only way you would have to pay the money back is if your income increased and/or dependents decreased yet you still took payment according to the income based on your 2020 tax return. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here is a copied excerpt from the IRS.
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Unlike stimulus checks, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will reconcile any overpayments. That means, if your income improved in 2021 or if you claimed fewer dependents in the tax year than the IRS knew about, you’ll have to settle any overpayments with your 2021 tax return.
Not all families were eligible for the scaled-up portion of the credit. Single filers’ earnings couldn’t top $75,000, heads of households’ incomes couldn’t surpass $112,500, and married couples couldn’t make more than $150,000 to be eligible for the extra $1,000 or $1,600. After that, the tax break fell by $50 per every $1,000 over the income threshold.
The IRS used the most recent information it had available to determine families’ eligibility. That could’ve been your 2020 tax return, or other proactive families might have updated their income and family information through one of the agency’s online portals. Others, however, might’ve not acted, putting them at risk of losing part of their refund — or having to pay some of that money back.
Experts say families in few circumstances will have to worry about paying back those payments — whether with their tax refund or out of pocket. The credit had high income thresholds for the $2,000 base amount and the program also had a buffer by design, given that families only received half of the credit through six monthly installments. Families, however, might potentially hit a few snags if they received money for a dependent that they no longer claim.
“Long story short, with these high-phase-out thresholds of $400,000 or $200,000, it would be a very unusual scenario to have to pay back any child tax credit, as long as you still have qualifying dependents,” Steber says. Still, he adds that “there is no get out of jail free card if you get those monies and you’re not supposed to.” (end excerpt)
As always I implore you to do your own research and find out for yourself. Don’t just listen to people tell you what they think. To make responsible and accurate decisions, you must KNOW.
JustAskMaia 