How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health — August 2022
Summary
A report dated August 2022 from Children's HealthWatch and the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice examines the experiences of families with young children during the pandemic and the impact of advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments. It says nearly 60 million children in 35 million families started receiving monthly advance CTC payments in July 2021. The data show the CTC significantly improved families' ability to catch up on rent and improved parent physical health, and survey data suggested it may have helped decrease parental depression and anxiety. Barriers and inequities in accessing payments persisted for low-income families of young children with immigrant mothers and marginalized Black mothers, and the payments ended abruptly in December 2021.
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“How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health — August 2022.”
Original at childrenshealthwatch.org. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/i-didn-t-have-to-worry-how-the-child-tax-credit-helped-families-catch-up-on-rent-and-improved-health/
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ʻI didn't have to worryʼ
HOW THE CHILD TAX CREDIT HELPED FAMILIES
CATCH UP ON RENT AND IMPROVED HEALTH AUGUST 2022
In July 2021, nearly
60 million children in
35 million families across
the United States started receiving
crucial financial relief through monthly
payments from the advance Child Tax
Credit (CTC). This report highlights the
economic, health, and mental health
experiences of families with young children
during the pandemic and the impact of the REVOLUTIONARY
REVOLUTIONARY
advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments on their lives.
HEALING
HEALING
Executive Summary
In July 2021, nearly 60 million children in 35 million on the front end at the times where I needed it the most
families across the United States started receiving cru- like back to school stuff like that... I was stuck and then
cial financial relief through monthly payments from the when I filed my taxes it’s like okay I got it. But I’ve already
advance Child Tax Credit (CTC). Families used the up to suffered.” said another Little Rock area participant.
$300 per month to pay for food, rent, child care, and
New research from Children’s HealthWatch, Revolution-
other necessities for their children.1
ary Healing, and the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights,
“The Child Tax Credit for me, that was a big help,” and Social Justice highlights the economic, health, and
reported one mother from the Little Rock area inter- mental health experiences of families with young chil-
viewed for this study. The potential benefits of these dren during the pandemic and the impact of the advance
payments, however, was not fully realized due to struc- Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments on their lives. Integrated
tural barriers families faced in accessing them and an with the stories and experiences of families alongside
abrupt end to the payments in December 2021. “I got survey data collected from the same families of young
one payment. It was weird, I didn’t get any more pay- children, we examine parent physical and mental health
ments after that until I filed my taxes. It had me in the and economic stability associated with receiving the ad-
loophole of processing or whatever the case was and I vance CTC monthly payments. We also document reports
of discrimination and inequities exacerbated by the
felt like there was no point in giving us the payments
pandemic. Families described difficulty affording food
if they were gonna delay them... so many people were
and rent throughout the pandemic, along with experi-
backed up, it did not benefit me because I did not get it
encing physical and mental health challenges.
Our data show the CTC significantly improved families’ ability
to catch up on rent during the pandemic and improved
+ parent physical health. Quantitative and qualitative data
show the monthly payments seem also to have helped
families afford child care and reduced experiences of food
insecurity and stress. Survey data also suggested that the
advance CTC may have helped decrease parental depression
and anxiety. Despite these positive outcomes, we also found
barriers and inequities in accessing payments persisted
for low-income families of young children with immigrant
mothers and marginalized Black mothers.
2 Children’s HealthWatch • childrenshealthwatch.org
Building health, building well-being
Comprehensive health is foundational with the trauma of poverty and isolation experienced by
poor families, particularly poor families of color, immi-
for family well-being
grant families, and those with young children.11,12
Positive parent and child health, early childhood devel-
opment, and parent mental health are strongly linked to In response to the ongoing economic and public health
economic stability.2 When families have enough financial crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress
resources to afford critically important expenses like food, passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in March
rent, utilities, child care, and health care without having to 2021. Among significant investments designed to bolster
sacrifice other needs, children and adults are healthier.3-6 the economy, the bill expanded the Child Tax Credit
through three key improvements: (1) expanded eligibil-
“ Yeah, it’s hard to budget... you can’t predict the
prices or predict... the difference... in cost and ev-
ity for the maximum credit amount to include families
with low or no income; (2) boosted the annual maximum
erything’s increasing besides the amount of money credit per child from $2,000 for all children to $3,600 for
that you have.”— Boston area participant children ages 0-6 and $3,000 for children ages 6-17; (3)
“ Then it’s hard to do that [save money] much. Like enabled half of the annual credit to be paid in monthly
these days it seems like every time I take two steps installments between July 2021 and December 2021.
forward I’m getting pushed like five steps back.” Families were able to receive the remainder of their CTC
— Little Rock area participant when they filed a 2021 tax return in early 2022.
Poor families, especially families with young children, Previous research on the advance CTC expanded through
immigrant families, and Black, Latino, and Indigenous ARPA showed the monthly payments reduced the num-
families, are more likely to struggle to afford basic ber of families living below the poverty line in the US
needs than the overall US population.7-9 As a result, and the number of families struggling to afford enough
they are more likely to be at risk of poor health out- food and other necessities.13-15 Advance CTC payments
comes and experience depression and anxiety related have also been associated with increased consumption
to struggles paying bills, feeding their families, and af- of fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins alongside
fording rent.10 The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the improvements in family financial stability.16,17 Data also
preexisting inequities. Public policies — both before showed the expanded credit reduced racial inequities in
and during the pandemic — have been designed and poverty rates, increased long-term educational invest-
implemented in ways that perpetuate the problem.11 ments among Black and Latino families, and reduced
Together, the pandemic and preexisting policies have reports of anxiety, depression, and parental distress
resulted in stark health and economic inequities.10 No- among Black parents.18 Despite these positive outcomes,
tably, Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant families however, disparities in access to payments among eli-
have experienced alarmingly high rates of hardship gible families and the exclusion of nearly one million
including inability to afford food, rent, and child care.8 immigrant children who lack a Social Security number
These inequities will have a lasting impact on children tempered the credit’s effectiveness in eliminating ineq-
and families, particularly given the alarming increase in uities and promoting health.19
mental health issues during the pandemic associated
How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health • August 2022 3
NEW RESEARCH
Understanding the realities of families
is key for promoting equitable policies
Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this
study highlights the experiences of families with young
children during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact
of the advance CTC payments on food security, being
behind on rent, and parent physical and mental health
and emphasizes inequities and experiences of discrimi-
nation reported by parents.
For this study, Children’s HealthWatch recruited families
interviewed pre-pandemic through face-to-face inter-
views in emergency rooms and primary care clinics in
four US cities (Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and
Little Rock) to participate in the COVID-19 Follow-up
Study.20 To understand receipt and impact of the ad-
vance CTC payments, we re-interviewed 544 parents
by phone between September 2021 and May 2022. Par-
ticipants were asked about their food security using
the Six-Item Short Form U.S. Household Food Security
Survey Module,21 ability to pay rent on time, ability to ac-
cess child care in order to work or study, physical health
status, mental health status, and receipt and access to one-on-one, in-depth interview, or both to deepen our
the monthly CTC payments. understanding of their experiences. While participants
were recruited from all four sites, only parents from
Previous analyses from this cohort of families with
Boston, Minneapolis, and Little Rock participated in a
young children showed significant increases in food and
focus group or interview. Researchers at Revolutionary
housing insecurity, with families falling behind on rent
Healing and the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and
in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.22 Advance CTC payments
Social Justice led focus groups and in-depth interviews
were linked to higher rates of food security and posi-
where parents discussed their experiences during the
tive parental health in our preliminary analyses, but we
COVID-19 pandemic, including their ability to afford food
found disparities in payment receipt by race, ethnicity,
and housing and any changes in physical and mental
nativity, and banking status.23
health among household members. They also shared
In addition to quantitative data collection efforts, 22 their perceptions and experiences of the advance CTC
interview and focus group participants were recruited payments. In the following section, we report quantita-
between February 2022 to June 2022 from the COVID-19 tive findings in the context of qualitative themes emerg-
Follow-up Study cohort to participate in a focus group, a ing from these focus groups and in-depth interviews.
4 Children’s HealthWatch • childrenshealthwatch.org
Challenges affording food, rent, Parents of young children surveyed by Children’s Health-
Watch during the pandemic experienced significant
and child care increased during the
increases in housing and food hardships.19 Parents who
pandemic, but the advance CTC
received the advance CTC monthly payments, however,
payments may have helped commented on the ways in which it helped them afford
For many families, the pandemic took a toll on their ability bills and catch up on basic expenses.
to afford food, obtain safe, stable housing, stay healthy,
and maintain positive mental health. “ When everybody was receiving [the CTC], it was
easier to like pay bills and you know, buy things for
“ Ifarwillas,sayespecially
that it’s a little stressful sometimes just as
speaking of inflation …gas going
the kids because… they don’t stop growing. And me
personally, it actually came in handy because [my
up, the price of food going up. I mean, that already son] needed… more clothes because he had another
puts kind of a strain on the family as far as what our growth spurt and I was backed up on my light and
budget is... I’m a stay-at-home mom and so there’s my gas bill as well. Being in the house more, you
only so much in the pot that we can take from, you know it ran the bills up, so now I’m [home] 24/7,
know. And so with things going up, it does put some not just five hours or six hours of the day… so I’ve
stress and there’s some cuts that have to be made seen a huge spike with [bills] and... it was a little
and this time we’re not gonna get this certain thing easier when we was receiving [the CTC] because
because, you know, the price of that juice is how I was looking forward to it each month, whether
much? Okay, well let’s go ahead and get this other I was putting some aside or buying something
brand over here because this is cheaper. And so for him and putting money on a bill… so it made
there definitely has been a lot of cutting, I would say things a little more difficult like when it did stop.”
more or less just kind of changing what we eat or — Boston area participant
drink and things like that just because of different
prices. And so we might, like I said, substitute for “ [After receiving the CTC] I didn’t have to worry
about, you know, certain things too much. [The CTC]
something different. And so... it gets a little stress-
certainly helped with bills. I mean pretty much the
ful going to the store, going to the pump and seeing
same things that I… try to take care of now. It did
how much is being drained out of your account and
provide like a little bit of a cushion. Plus, I was able
how much things have raised... But it’s also about,
to, I’ll say, accumulate a little bit of a savings.” — Bos-
I guess, having the budget too and it’s not always
ton area participant
easy, but it’s just one of those things that as of right
now, there’s nothing we can do about it. So we just
have to make cuts and changes to keep on going.”
— Little Rock area participant
How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health • August 2022 5
P ost i t i v e Im pac t o f th e CTC
Families receiving
THE advance CTC
payments were:
C T C
Families behind Families caught up
2.66x
on rent payments on rent payments
more likely to catch
up on rent after
FALL 2020/SPRING 2021 FALL 2021/SPRING 2022 falling behind early
in the pandemic
in addition, data suggest that advance CTC payments:
Decreased risk of
1.3x
supported helped cover parents experiencing more likely to be in
Family food childcare anxiety and depressive excellent or good
security costs symptoms parental health
In quantitative analyses, families who received the ad-
vance CTC payments were 2.66 times more likely to catch “ You know, you just got to be willing… to actually
reach out and — and get these things because a lot
up on rent after falling behind early in the pandemic, of people look and it’s just like, well, you know, I just
even after accounting for other food-related assistance made a few phone calls, you know, and signs up for
they may have received. Additionally, analytic trends this and that but a lot of people their pride is in the
suggested that the advance CTC payments may have way like, ‘Oh, I’m too good for that or I don’t need
supported family food security and kept families from that’, like, Uh, ‘you do need it, you know, because
falling into food insecurity as the hardships of the on- you’re asking me how I got this and that’, I’m like,
‘Look, this is for free, you know, they even gave me
going pandemic persisted. The payments may also have
a, um, a free tablet.’ …one of the places… was really
helped families afford child care so that they could work
generous with a lot of the stuff that they gave and
or further their education.
most of it was unexpected… So, I think it — it helped
Families with young children faced special challenges me. It helped me in a lot of as far as like being able
due to the age of their children and discussed the wide to provide for my kids or have him, you know, I
array of resources and supports they navigated to sup- didn’t have to worry about running out of certain
port their families. One participant talked about how things and running out of food period.” — Boston
area participant
important it was to reach out to find resources to close
gaps in household needs:
6 Children’s HealthWatch • childrenshealthwatch.org
Improving parental health outcomes
Pandemic-related closures and Parental physical and mental health is important for
early childhood development. Parents surveyed by
economic hardships also took a toll
Children’s HealthWatch who received the advanced CTC
on physical and mental health, monthly payments were 1.3 times more likely to be in
but monthly CTC payments improved excellent or good health compared to those who did
parental health outcomes not receive payments. Analytic trends also suggest that
“ There’s a lot that has happened during the pandemic. parents receiving the advance CTC payments were less
Some of it good, some of it not so good… it was really likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxi-
tough adjusting to a lot of things that were affected ety compared to those who did not receive payments.
by the pandemic: going out, being able to be free and
In addition to hardship and health changes during the
do things that we used to do them before and all the
pandemic, families also shared experiences of racial
restrictions... There was a time where I, I gained so
discrimination and discussed how inequities in the U.S.
much weight and I know it came from no activity, and
impacted their sense of self, health, well-being, and
then no spending, food felt very comfortable to go to
ability to navigate systems.
every single time something was upsetting. Like food
was my best friend during the beginning of the pan-
demic and, and I don’t know, I just blew up. However, “ There was a time when the pandemic had just broke
out and, and so many people were putting the blame
right now I’m trying… to deal with it. I try to walk every on a particular race and, and that didn’t feel good
day and I try my best to exercise. It’s very hard when at all to me because it felt like…people are closing
he’s [my son] not at school, but when he’s at school I their minds up a little too much and looking at, and
try to use that time and exercise from home… all in all finding, finding someone to blame for whatever is
I can say that the pandemic has, has changed a lot in happening… I kept on coming across [on the internet]
me both good and bad.” — Little Rock area participant so many comments from people who would say, oh
this is like the time… when Ebola broke out and they
“ II’vegot…beenanxiety real bad. When my son was 10 months,
working since then, and when the pandem-
were blaming Africans for Ebola. And I really related
to that [as an immigrant] and I didn’t even experience
ic hit… I stopped working… I was also in class…it was
it at the time, but I related to that and it did not feel
a big thing for me because I used to work and other
good at all. So I was …feeling so much for the Asian
things to keep myself busy to not focus on the reality
community when they were talking about how COVID
of like what’s really going on. So me having to do the
is coming from that side, and I was feeling like I don’t
online classes and… being in the house 24/7, I got
know, I just, I just couldn’t do anything about it, but
anxiety really bad, and I had to give myself… positive
it didn’t really feel good... And it woke me up and it
affirmations. So I won’t, you know, get in that mindset
kind of reminded me that you are Black. So the way
of, you know, being sad or I don’t know, just a feeling.
it has affected me is now I know how to carry myself
And when it was time to go back out in the world
around people. I have to be reminded at the back
it was like, I don’t know, it was like almost emerg-
of my head that you’re Black, there’s certain things
ing into the world and I’m like, I didn’t know how to
you shouldn’t do or say in front of certain people.
be anymore outside, it was just a different feeling,
That’s how I feel. And yeah, I feel like [the pandemic]
like I didn’t know how to be around the people,
has changed so much about how I see it and think
you know, everyone’s weird and, um, I think the pan-
about race and everything that has to do with that.”
demic made everyone like more rude than they were
— Boston area participant
before.” — Boston area participant
How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health • August 2022 7
Inequities persist
“ [Ishowing
was searching for housing and people were] not
up [to housing tour appointments]. People
The advance CTC payments supported
families, but inequities in access to the
not just honoring the appointments and people
once they would find out that I am um, Black, they credit persist
would like just completely not even like respond, Though economic and health challenges and experi-
you know, stuff like that. That was very challeng- ences of discrimination persist for families, the advance
ing… It was so challenging to a point whereby… like CTC payments provided much needed relief. These find-
every phone call I made, the first thing I would say ings show the advance CTC payments helped families to
is ‘By the way, I’m Black’… And it felt like, do I even
catch up on rent payments and potentially stave off food
have to say this? Yeah. But then I found it helpful
insecurity and challenges affording child care, while im-
because then I would know if they don’t like, if they
proving parent physical and likely also mental health.
don’t want to deal with me, then they just have to
may as well, you know, find out from the beginning, While the advance CTC payments were welcomed relief
but I’m Black. You’re talking to a Black person and for many families, many parents expressed frustration
stuff like that...” — Boston area participant with the barriers they faced in accessing payments. The
parents’ perspectives illuminated and drove home the
human toll of our previously reported preliminary data.
We found inequities in receipt of the advance CTC pay-
U ne qu al R eceipt of CT C ments by race, ethnicity, nativity, banking status, educa-
-42%
tion level, household employment, marital status, and
tax filing status.20 These inequities are interlocking, and
many families face multiple barriers to accessing criti-
Families with immigrant parents
cal tax and other resources necessary to support family
were 42 percent less likely to
health and well-being.
receive advance CTC payments
Families with immigrant mothers were disproportion-
ately less likely to receive the benefits of the advance
CTC. While US-citizen children of immigrant parents
Data showed inequities in receipt of the were eligible for the CTC monthly payments, compared
advance CTC payments by: to families with US-born parents, families with im-
• Race • Household migrant parents were 42 percent less likely to receive
• Ethnicity employment advance CTC payments. While having a bank account in-
• Nativity • Marital status creased the likelihood of families with immigrant moth-
• Banking status • Tax filing status ers receiving the credit, the disparity persisted. Likely as
• Education level
a result, this disparity may have weakened the impact of
Many families face multiple barriers to accessing critical
the payments for immigrant families in our sample.
tax and other resources necessary to support family health
and well-being.
8 Children’s HealthWatch • childrenshealthwatch.org
As one immigrant mother described in reflecting on how in Black mothers, immigrant families, families in rural
she might have benefited from the CTC if she did not face areas, and other marginalized groups missing payments
access barriers: due to systemic barriers to: a) employment with wages
high enough to require tax filing, b) accessible banking
“ [Having the CTC would have made me feel] calmer.
Yeah — calmer… — they say that one shouldn’t talk
options, and c) stable housing.25-28 In response, federal,
about one’s debts and things like that but it’s a major state, and local governments, alongside organizations
reason that I would feel relieved… because, certainly, across the country, launched efforts to reach eligible
well because you have to take out the money for families who missed payments. Data are necessary, how-
the debt. You have to take out money for the rent. ever, to understand the impact of these efforts and to
You have to take out money for… well food, gas — identify opportunities to further remove implicit barriers
which was sky-high and and all of it. So, certainly, to receiving the advance CTC.
more relaxed, calmer… yes it helps.” — Minneapolis
For immigrant families, specific barriers and exclusions
area participant
persist across benefits, including the CTC. An explicit
The American Rescue Plan Act was built upon the exist- ban of children without a Social Security number from
ing CTC and created a way for payments to be rapidly CTC eligibility excluded approximately one million immi-
deployed by utilizing information from 2020 tax returns. grant children from payments.29 This exclusion combined
While this structure was helpful for some, it also meant with ongoing confusion and concern among immigrant
that millions of families with very low incomes were ini- families about accessing the CTC as well as other public
tially excluded from the payments because they had not benefits, may have further exacerbated inequities in par-
been required to file taxes. Only 57 percent of eligible ticipation. Specifically, many immigrants feared access-
families across the country reported receiving payments, ing payments and other benefits, or continuing to access
suggesting that millions of children missed out on the benefits, could jeopardize their future immigration sta-
benefits of the credit.24 Among those eligible for the tus given harmful changes to immigration policy enacted
credit, Latino and American Indian/Alaska Native, Native under the previous administration. Even for those who
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander families and families with in- may have felt comfortable filing for benefits, there were
comes below $25,000 reported the lowest rates of receipt additional hurdles. While parents who do not have Social
of the advance CTC payments.21 Security numbers can claim the CTC for their children,
they are required to take the additional step of applying
Additionally, to efficiently disperse the advance CTC,
for an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) before
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) directly deposited
filing taxes — a process currently experiencing significant
payments into bank accounts they had on file and sent
delays due to backlogs.30 This systemic barrier is more
checks to existing addresses. This meant that families
than just a hassle — it potentially jeopardizes child and
without bank accounts — along with those who had
parent health as families are forced to wait on relief that
unstable housing or moved addresses — were more
could mitigate current hardships and financial stress.
likely to miss initial payments. These factors resulted
How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health • August 2022 9
An Abrupt End
Abrupt end of advance CTC payments
increased family economic hardships
Finally, the abrupt nationwide end to advance CTC payments
was detrimental to families’ ability to afford basic needs — es-
pecially as all families, and particularly those with young
children, continue to struggle with rising prices due to in-
flation and high child care costs. Research shows that the
expiration of the payments pushed more than 3 million
children below the federal poverty line, threatening their
health and well-being. Even brief disruptions in a families’
ability to afford basic necessities like food and rent can
have a lasting impact on child and family health.31-33 As one
parent put it:
“ Ithedon’tthings
think [the government was] prepared to handle
that were being thrown at them, but there
wasn’t an excuse for telling us you were going to give
us something and then not [give] it to us because we
definitely still suffered. Especially when you told
us we were going to give you guys an extra $300 a
month. So then in our minds we started to kind of
calculate what can we do for our children with that
extra money. How can we maintain our households?
They had already cut off like extra assistance programs
at this point for a lot of different things.” — Little Rock
area participant
Another parent highlighted how the payments would help
her family respond to rising costs:
“ Child Tax Credit for me, that was a big help… Even
though I had two kids at the time, I only qualified
for one. I’m not sure why because he was of age for
me to get it, but they said I only qualify for one of
them. It was a big help tremendously because of the
pricing of everything that jumped up. Gas prices and
food and everything got — got expensive and that
$300 a month just was a big help. I wish that they
can continue especially with me out of work right
now and not having an income and my fiancé paying
for everything. That — that would be a big help as
of now.“ — Little Rock area participant
10 Children’s HealthWatch • childrenshealthwatch.org
policy solutions
Policy solutions that respond to the realities 5. Ensure all eligible children, including those in mixed
of all families are urgently necessary status families, are able to receive the CTC in a timely
manner by eliminating backlogs and barriers to filing
Passing a robust and inclusive expansion of the CTC
for an ITIN.
would respond to the realities of families and children
by removing barriers to access and advancing a credit 6. Promote increased investment in refundable tax credits
that ensures all families are better able to meet the that benefit families with low incomes without harm-
economic and health needs of their families. Specifically, ful offsets that ultimately deprive families with the
Children’s HealthWatch, Revolutionary Healing, and the lowest incomes of resources necessary to support
Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice family well-being.
recommend the following solutions: In addition to key improvements to the CTC, this research
underscores the urgency of enacting robust, systemic pol-
1. Pass a permanent and inclusive expanded advance CTC icy change that eliminates poverty and hardship among
that ensures all children — regardless of immigration
families and, in turn, seeks to reverse the toll of these
status for children or adults and without require-
adversities on physical and mental health. Specifically, we
ments for earned income — are eligible for monthly
call on our nation’s leaders to enact policies that:
payments that improve family health and well-being.
2. Invest in effective, culturally appropriate outreach and 7. Establish universal rights and access to quality hous-
enrollment efforts that focus on community-driven ing, food, and other basic necessities by improving
solutions for increasing awareness of and access to government safety nets and permanently ensuring
robust investment in programs and policies that sup-
the CTC.
port family economic stability.
3. Reduce structural barriers to the CTC by creating a
permanent, accessible simplified tax-filing platform 8. Guarantee access to health care, including mental
health care services, for all people.
available in multiple languages that is consistently
evaluated and improved to promote equitable access 9. Reverse discriminatory policies that explicitly or im-
plicitly exclude families from accessing critical ben-
to the CTC — particularly for marginalized popula-
efits and promote policies that actively promote racial
tions including, but not limited to, those with low or
equity through intentional efforts to respond to the
no incomes, limited English proficiency, disabilities,
needs of specific communities.
unstable housing, and without bank accounts.
10. Evaluate and continually seek to improve policies and
4. Provide adequate resources to the IRS to improve programs based on the experiences of people with low
customer service and operations, ensure prompt pro- incomes and those impacted most by policy change.
cessing of returns and resolution of filing issues, and
update processes to administer tax benefits more ef- 11. Implement automatic stabilizers across policies that
ensure programs and income supports are able to
fectively, particularly for families with low-incomes
rapidly respond to economic downturns and pass
(or no incomes) and those who face multiple tax regulatory measures for corporations and other highly
filing barriers.34 profitable entities to reduce rising inflation that di-
rectly impacts the costs of basic needs.35
How the Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent and Improved Health • August 2022 11
Conclusion
An expanded, inclusive, and accessible advance CTC that
promotes health, mental health, economic stability, and
“ You all got to do better. American citizens need
money. We got other countries that are still helping
racial equity is urgently needed as families with young their people out. You all are willing to give 33 billion
children continue to face challenges with affording basic to Ukraine. So you got $33 billion to get to Ukraine
needs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Rising pric- but you can’t spend that money on your low-income
es and the economic downturn created by the pandemic neighborhoods and schools. …we need some recur-
ring payments and we need some payments with-
have only exacerbated long-standing inequities rooted in
out stipulations.” — Little Rock area participant
systemic racism. Robust investments in families, includ-
ing through the advance CTC, are important for families to
thrive and reach their highest potential.
For further information
Contact Allison Bovell-Ammon at Allison.bovell-ammon@bmc.org or at 617-414-3580.
Endnotes AB OUT TH I S REPORT
1. Zippel C. 9 in 10 families with low incomes are using Child Tax 14. Shafer PR, Gutierrez KM, Ettinger de Cuba S, Bovell-Ammon A, & 25. Kermani A & Wong, F. Racial disparities in housing returns. This research is a partnership between Children’s
Credits to pay for necessities, education. Center on Budget Raifman J. Association of the implementation of child tax credit National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Paper
and Policy Priorities. October 2021. https://www.cbpp.org/ advance payments with food insufficiency in US households. 29306. September 2021. http://www.nber.org/papers/w29306
HealthWatch, Revolutionary Healing, and the Kairos
blog/9-in-10-families-with-low-incomes-are-using-child-tax- JAMA Network Open, January 2021;5(1): e2143296. doi:10.1001/ Swope CB, Hernández D. Housing as a determinant of health Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice
credits-to-pay-for-necessities-education. jamanetworkopen.2021.43296. equity: a conceptual model. Soc Sci Med 2019;243:112571.
2. Black MM, Walker SP, Fernald LCH, et al. Early childhood develop- 15. Karpman M, Maag E, Zuckerman S, & Wissoker D. Child tax credit 26. Leifheit KM, Schwartz G, Pollack CE, & Linton SL. Biuilding health
ment coming of age: science through the life course. Lancet. Jan
7 2017;389(10064):77-90.
recipients experienced larger decline in food insecurity and a
similar change in employment as nonrecipients between 2020
equity through housing polcies: critical reflections and future
directions for research. Jounral Epidemiology Community Health,
Auth ors
and 2021. Tax Policy Center Report from Urban Institute & Brook- 2022;0:1–5. https://doi:10.1136/jech-2021-216439. Allison Bovell-Ammon, MDiv, Diana Burnett, PhD,
3. Cook JT, Frank DA, Casey PH, et al. A brief indicator of household ings Institution. May 2022. Accessed at: https://urbn.is/3P8Ka3L.
energy security: associations with food security, child health, 27. Blank, JD & Osofsky LZ. The Inequality of informal guidance. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, PhD, MPH,
and child development in US infants and toddlers. Pediatrics. 16. Hamilton L, Roll S, Despard M, Maag E, Chun Y, Brugger L, & Vanderbilt Law Review, 2022; 75(4), 1093-1158.
Shailly Gupta-Barnes, JD, Jalen Banks, Elizabeth
2008;122(4):e867-e87. Grinstein-Weiss M (2022). The impacts of the 2021 expanded
28. Bullock HE, Toolis EE, Sencion B, Cadenas MT. The high price of
child tax credit on family employment, nutrition, and financial Bates, MSN, Sharon Coleman, MS, Charlotte Bruce,
4. Rose-Jacobs R, Black MM, Casey PH, et al. Household Food well-being: Findings from the Social Policy Institute’s Child Tax economic marginalization: Low-income Latinas’ experiences with
Insecurity: Associations with At-Risk Infant and Toddler Develop- Credit Panel survey (Wave 2). Brookings Global Working Paper mainstream banking and alternative financial services. Peace and MPH, Félice Lê-Scherban, PhD, MPH
ment. Pediatrics. 2008;121(1):65-72. #173. April 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/ Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. 2020;26(2):136–148. https://
uploads/2022/04/Child-Tax-Credit-Report-Final_Updated.pdf. doi.org/10.1037/pac0000419.
5. Sandel M, Sheward R, Ettinger de Cuba S, et al. Unstable Housing
and Caregiver and Child Health in Renter Families. Pediatrics. 17. Dugger, R., & Bean, M. (2022). Patterns Of Food Security And 29. Guzman M. Inclusive Child Tax Credit reform would restore ACKN OWLEDGMEN TS
Feb 2018;141(2). benefit to 1 million young ‘Dreamers’. Institute on Taxation and
Dietary Intake During The First Half Of The Child Tax Credit
Economic Policy. April 2021. https://itep.org/inclusive-child-
We would like to thank the generous supporters
6. Bruce C, Bovell-Ammon A, Ettinger de Cuba S, Poblacion A, Expansion. Health affairs (Project Hope), 41(5), 680–688. https://
Rateau L, Cutts D. Access to high-quality, affordable child care: doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01864. Access at: https://www. tax-credit-reform-would-restore-benefitto-1-million-young- of this project: the Charles and Lynn Schusterman
healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01864 dreamers/.
Strategies to improve health. Children’s HealthWatch. April 2020. Family Philanthropies, the Boston University
https://childrenshealthwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/CHW- 18. Acs G, & Werner K. How a permanent expansion of the child 30. NTA Blog: Most taxpayers needed a new ITIN are prohibited
Childcare-Report-final-web-3.pdf. tax credit could affect poverty. The Urban Institute. July 2021. from filing electronically, causing unnecessary refund delays. Center for Antiracist Research, and the Annie E.
Taxpayer Advocate. April 2022. https://www.taxpayeradvocate.
7. Waxman E, Gupta P, Gonzalez D. Six Months into the Pandemic, https://www.urban.org/research/publication/how-permanent-
irs.gov/news/nta-blog-most-taxpayers-needing-a-new-itin-
Casey Foundation. We would also like to thank the
40 Percent of Parents with Young Children Have Experienced expansion-child-tax-credit-could-affect-poverty.
Economic Fallout. Urban Institute. 2020. https://www.urban.
are-prohibited-from-filing-electronically-causing-unnecessary- parents of young children who shared their stories
19. Acevedo-Garcia, D, Joshi, PK, Ruskin, E, Walters, AN, Sofer, refund-delays/.
org/research/publication/six-months-pandemic-40-percent- N, & Guevara, CA. Including children in immigrant families with us for this research project..
parents-young-children-have-experienced-economic-fallout. in policy approaches to reduce child poverty. Academic 31. Blair, C., Raver, C. C., Granger, D., Mills-Koonce, R., Hibel, L., & Fam-
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monthly Child Tax Credit payments will stop, child poverty Household Food Security Survey Module: Seix-Item Short Form.
reductions will be lost. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Webpage. https://www.ers.usda.gov/media/8282/short2012. 33. Pascoe JM, Wood DL, Duffee JH, et al. AAP Committee on Child Tax Credit Helped Families Catch Up on Rent
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Learn More: childrenshealthwatch.org/publication/CTChealthIMPACT
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