Child Tax Credit 2021: What to do if you didn't get a payment or got the wrong amount

The first of six monthly payments through the enhanced Child Tax Credit arrived on July 15, with most parents of children who are 17 or younger getting one of the deposits. But some parents are reporting they haven't yet received a check — or that they got the wrong amount. 

The IRS said it sent payments for almost 60 million children on Thursday, totaling $15 billion. But some parents who expected checks to land in their bank accounts that day were disappointed, either because they didn't receive any money or got less than they expected.  It may not be surprising that some parents are reporting problems with the enhanced CTC, given that the massive new program is determined by a family's 2019 or 2020 tax return. The IRS has been reaching out to parents who normally don't file taxes in order to urge them to file a simplified return that will qualify them for the program. But other people may be experiencing bumps that aren't as easy to fix.