Time remains for families to file Child Care Tax claim

By The Star Staff

Families in Puerto Rico have until Nov. 17 to claim credits for dependent children and work for tax year 2021.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said Tuesday that more than 222,000 families have claimed the Child Tax Credit (CTC), but another 75,000 may still be entitled to those benefits that were extended for another year by President Joe Biden.

While in the United States the expansion of the CTC has helped reduce the youth poverty rate by 6%, Pierluisi said that in Puerto Rico it fell by 2% in 2021, but he believes that there is potential for it to be reduced by 7%.

“Our message is clear. There is time to obtain this benefit of the expanded CTC this year, if you register by November 17,” said Gene Sperling, an adviser to President Biden who is in charge of supervising the operation of the American Rescue Plan Act from the White House.

The governor and Sperling were on an online forum convened by the Youth Development Institute to encourage residents of Puerto Rico to access the CTC. Puerto Rico suffered the consequences of another hurricane last month..

The program is now open to anyone with dependent children, as long as their income does not exceed $75,000, or $150,000 for couples.