It depends. If you were eligible for the credit based on your 2020 return, you should have been sent payments automatically, unless you opted out. If you have qualifying children for the Child Tax Credit that you are claiming on your 2021 tax return but did not claim in 2020, you can still get the full credit, including the advanced payments that you did not get.
Whether you have children or not, you still have to report any advanced payments that would have been reported to you on Letter 6419. To confirm you did not receive any advance payments:
- In the Federal section of your return, go to Deductions & Credits
- Scroll down to You and Your Family and click Revisit/Start next to Advance payments, Child and Other Dependent Tax Credits
- Click Continue
- Answer Let's start with where you spent the most time in 2021.
- Answer No to Did you receive any advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021?
If you are not sure if you received advanced payments and have not yet received Letter 6419, you may also view your payments at the IRS website.
