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THE TAX CODE

Child Tax Credit

Overview

The Child Tax Credit (CTC) helps qualifying parents with children under the age of 17 offset the cost of everyday household expenses.

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.

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Resources

Resource

FFYF Capsule Collection: Tax Policy and Child Care

October 29, 2024

Millions of American families today are struggling to find the affordable, reliable, quality child care they depend on to go to work. This has a devastating impact on our youngest …

Resource

The First Five Things to Know About: The Britt-Kaine Bipartisan Child Care Plan

March 5, 2025

First Introduced: July 2024 Reintroduced: March 2025.  Parents want to make child care choices that best support their family’s individual needs and their child’s development. This is especially true for …

Resource

Child Care and the Federal Tax Code

February 18, 2025

Millions of families across the United States need child care. Yet for too many, child care is hard to find and even harder to afford. Congress can lead the way. …

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Updates

News

STATEMENT: FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on proposed expansion of child care tax credits

June 17, 2025

On Monday afternoon, the Senate released the text of their bill to reauthorize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This version contains updates to tax credits which will …

News

Letter: Senate Finance Committee urged to prioritize child care tax credits

June 13, 2025

In a show of support, 64 local Chambers of Commerce, national organizations, and employers joined First Five Years Fund and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a letter calling on …


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