On Monday, the IRS warned that some of the people who received a letter about the advance Child Tax Credit payments sent last year may have received incorrect information.
The agency has spent the last month telling taxpayers they need to hang on to the letters to use when they file their 2021 taxes. The IRS began accepting those returns on Monday.
However, on Monday afternoon, Ken Corbin, the IRS chief taxpayer experience officer, said on a conference call with reporters that some of the letters “may not reflect what the taxpayer actually received.”
According to Corbin, the agency is unclear how many people received erroneous letters. The mistake could be limited to a small group of taxpayers who moved or changed bank accounts in December. In those cases, the advance check may have been undeliverable, or the direct deposits bounced from the bank where an account was closed, Corbin said.
Taxpayers who receive the advance credit and are concerned that the information in the letter is incorrect should go to IRS.gov to check on the amount the website says was paid out.
“We want taxpayers to have the info they need to file an accurate return,” Corbin said.
The monthly payments, authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, began in July and continued until December. The payments targeted families with children up to age 17. The payments are based on yearly income — they were up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17.