Many families missing child tax credit payments, or getting IRS "error" notices
HOUSTON - Many people continue to have problems receiving their child tax credit payments, or have received "math error" notices from the IRS. They say it's causing stress and stressing their bottom lines.
"Food. I have two boys, a 16-year-old and a 9-year-old. They eat," said single mother of two, Michelle Edwards.
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Edwards says she received her first two child tax credit payments, but not the last two.
"I paid bills with the money that I did have because the IRS promised you’re going to get this with your October payment because we messed up in September. It didn’t happen," said Edwards.
The IRS reported a technical glitch that caused 700,000 families not to receive their September payments but says it's been corrected.
"No. We have not received a penny," said Edwards.
RELATED: Fourth child tax credit payment goes out this week: What parents need to know
Edwards says thousands of parents are sounding off on Facebook groups.
"Who don’t have food on their tables for their kids now, who don’t have electricity, who are going to court next week to get evicted," she said.
Meantime, the IRS sent nine million notices to taxpayers this year citing "math errors" on tax returns, up from 628,997 error notices last year. The IRS says most are due to people incorrectly claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit for stimulus checks.
But CPA Edward Gardner says some of his clients have received error notices in error.
"They’ve made estimated tax payments, and the IRS cashed the checks. They went through. Yet, they’re not showing they were paid on their account, they still owe the IRS money," said Gardner.
RELATED: Child Tax Credits: Who is eligible and how to sign up for the early payouts
The IRS did not respond to our request for comment.
While the IRS has processed millions of payments successfully, its website says it still dealing with a backlog of 7.1 million tax returns. While staffing has been increased since 2019, it's still below 2010 levels.
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So what can you do?
Start by double-checking your information in the IRS Update Portal and making any necessary changes to your account before the next deadline, which is Nov. 1, 11:59 p.m. ET.
Here are the links.
Child Tax Credit Update Portal
View and update your IRS account here:
It can take several days for electronic payments to settle in bank accounts, and USPS mail delays may hold up paper checks a couple of weeks. If you have not received payment after that time, you can file a "payment trace" by filing IRS form 3911. You can also claim missing payments on your next tax return.
The number to call the IRS regarding Child Tax Credit Payments is (866) 682-7451.
RAISE Texas and BakerRipley are two non-profits helping people get their child tax credit payments.