The Child Tax Credit: Moving Forward

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan tax package that included elements of the historic 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion.

- Marian Wright Edelman

The new Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act doesn't include all of the improvements that were part of that expansion--but it is still an important step that will benefit approximately 16 million young people including more than one in three Black and Brown children under 17.

The CTC was created in 1997 to help families meet the everyday expenses of raising children-and since then, it has eased economic pressure on many parents and caregivers and helped families afford groceries, clothes, school supplies, and other basics needed for children's well-being. It was expanded in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan, reaching 35 million families and approximately 90 percent of all children in the United States who benefited from its immediate relief.