Child Tax Credit Update: 300,000 Connecticut Families Will Get $250 Stimulus Cash This Summer

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Three hundred thousand Connecticut households will soon reap the rewards of the largest tax cut in the state’s history, according to the state government. The 2022 Connecticut Child Tax Rebate is part of the 2023 fiscal year budget adjustment recently signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont.

According to a press statement released May 19 by the State of Connecticut, the one-year state budget includes $663 million in tax cuts, including a $250 child care tax credit, similar to the federal enhanced Child Tax Credit that expired earlier this year.

This generosity comes at a time when many states are reveling in a rush of tax revenue collected during the previous fiscal year and a cushion of federal pandemic aid funds. The Hartford Courant claims that the tax cut program was made possible due to Connecticut’s large budget surplus and over $2 billion in federal stimulus funding.

“In addition to making groundbreaking investments in childcare, crime prevention, environmental protection, and caring for our most vulnerable, the budget that we just enacted provides relief specifically targeted for lower and middle-income families with children,” stated Lamont in a press statement announcing the credit. “The application period for this rebate will take place over the next several weeks, with the rebates going out in late August, just in time for the start of the next school year.

As detailed in the release, the rebates allow for a maximum amount of $250 per child under the age of 18 up to three children per family ($750 maximum) and will use taxpayers’ income guidelines for eligibility. The rebate program is geared towards low-to-middle income families but higher-earning households may be able to receive a reduced rebate if eligible.

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The income thresholds are as follows:

  • Single or married filing separately: $100,000 or less
  • Head of household status: $169,000 or less
  • Married filing jointly: $200,000

Republicans have been the most vocal opponents of child tax credits at both the federal and state levels. Lamont’s tax cut initiatives have been criticized as pre-election vote-motivators. They have been likened to the income tax rebates issued by Gov. John G. Rowland in 1998 that Democrats were opposed to at the time, reports The Middletown Press.

“This is just like the Rowland rebate checks of 1998,” said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford. “It’s just a one-time gimmick that provides no systemic change to make the state of Connecticut more affordable for our struggling middle class and lower income taxpayers.”

The CT.gov Child Tax Rebate Program landing page will be updated on June 1 with a dedicated application portal for families to enroll and will be available until the registration end date of July 31, 2022.

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