The Child Tax Credit (CTC) helps qualifying parents with children under the age of 17 offset the cost of everyday household expenses.
The CTC is designed to ensure that the tax code reflects the fact that families have more expenses and less disposable income than individuals and couples with the same income who don’t have children. Parents can use this credit for any expense, even those unrelated to the cost of raising children.
In July of 2025, Congress increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $2,200 per qualifying child.

Toolkits & Talking Points
July 12, 2025
In A Nutshell With two-thirds of children ages five and under living in homes where all available parents are working, child care is not optional for most families – it’s …

Events & Hearings
June 11, 2021
Earlier today, Vice President Kamala Harris visited CentroNía, a high-quality early learning and care facility in Washington, DC, where she spent time visiting with a group of early learners and …

Factsheets
July 16, 2023
In July 2023, Public Opinion Strategies completed a poll on behalf of the First Five Years Fund, examining voter attitudes toward the issue of child care and early childhood education …

Policy Letters
January 30, 2024
By enhancing the Child Tax Credit, the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 would help more families afford the everyday expenses of raising children. The …

Events & Hearings
June 6, 2024
On June 4th, First Five Years Fund, in conjunction with the Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus, hosted lawmakers, bipartisan Congressional staffers, and early learning advocates for a “Child Care …

Data & Analysis
September 27, 2024
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit support families in very different ways. Families need both. Child care is not a luxury for American families …
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