Real Answers for Life’s Money Challenges
My daughter is disabled and her only income is SSI.
Her 6-year-old son is also partially disabled, having autism and ADHD.
Can she take advantage of the new child tax credit that starts in July?
J.
Dear J.,
Yes, it sounds like your daughter will qualify for the expanded child tax credit.
But in 2021, the rules are different.
You dont need earned income to qualify for the credit.
Your Email AddressSend Your Question
DISCLAIMER: Questions will appear in The Penny Hoarders Dear Penny column.
We are unable to answer every letter.
We reserve the right to edit and publish your questions.
But dont worry your identity will remain anonymous.
Thank you for your question!
Your willingness to share your story might help others facing similar challenges.
While we cant publish every question we receive, we appreciate you sharing your question with us.
Then, shell receive the other $1,500 of the $3,000 credit at tax time next year.
To be on the safe side, your daughter shouldfile a tax returneven though shes not required to.
Youre allowed to submit one even if you dont have taxable income.
The easiest way to do so is to use afree tax filing software.
Your daughter will need to input both her own Social Security number and her sons.
For income, she can simply enter $1.
The IRS may reject it as a blank return if she enters it as $0.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help… Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Send your tricky money questions to[email protected].
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
