Letter 6417 explained key changes to the 2021 Child Tax Credit for families with dependents under age 18. It's printed on White House letterhead and signed by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The American Rescue Plan Act expanded the Child Tax Credit to give tax relief to almost all working families with children. It also authorized the IRS to pay half of your expected Child Tax Credit in advance during 2021. You would claim the other half when you filed your 2021 income tax return.
What This Letter Means
If you received Letter 6417, you should have started receiving advance Child Tax Credit payments automatically, as early as July 15, 2021. These payments are also called child tax relief payments.
What to Do
No response is needed. Keep the letter with your 2021 tax records.
This letter was informational. The letter that mattered for filing was Letter 6419. It showed the total advance payments you actually received in 2021 and the number of qualifying children used to figure them. Families who received advance payments had to file a 2021 return and compare those payments with the credit they could claim.
If You Still Have a 2021 Problem
If you never filed a 2021 return, or the IRS changed the Child Tax Credit on your 2021 return, Letter 6417 won't resolve it. Get your advance payment totals from your IRS online account or Letter 6419 and compare them with what was claimed on the return.
Keep all IRS letters about advance Child Tax Credit payments with your tax records.
If you have a 2021 Child Tax Credit problem with the IRS, call us at (813) 229-7100.