Child Tax Credit: If You Didn’t Receive IRS Letter 6419, Do This

This tax season, parents and families will need to pay special attention to their filing in order to reconcile the child tax credit amounts they may or may not have received throughout 2021. The IRS has sent out a letter to families, Letter 6419, detailing the amount of money taxpayers received last year in terms of advance payments. You will need this letter in order to file your taxes — spelling out how much you did, or did not, receive. It will also detail how much of a credit you are still eligible for in 2022.

See: What 2022 Means for Stimulus Checks and the Child Tax Credit
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If you did not receive the letter, here’s what you can do.

The IRS has stated that these letters went out in January, so if you still have not received one it’s best to wait a few days to see if it arrives shortly. If not, you can use the online CTC portal to check if your information, such as your current mailing address, is correct. You can also contact the IRS via phone at 1-800-829-1040.

If you did receive the letter — but lost or misplaced it — the process will be the same. Contact the IRS or access the CTC portal as soon as possible to make sure you can file accurate taxes. This letter is particularly important for reconciling the correct amount of the enhanced credit you are to receive, as to avoid owing the IRS any money.

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If, for example, there is any discrepancy in your income — or let’s say, you recently divorced — by having this letter there will be no question as to how much you received (or are owed) this year for the enhanced child tax credit. The credit is based on 2020 and 2019 tax returns, meaning if there was a significant change of status in the last year (such as significantly increased income) it could mean money owed to the IRS.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Child Tax Credit: If You Didn’t Receive IRS Letter 6419, Do This