The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have unveiled a new online tool to help families who normally aren’t required to file an income tax return to register quickly for the expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan. The new tool is part of a larger effort to help more families obtain advance Child Tax Credit payments.

Available through IRS.gov, the new Non-filer Sign-up Tool is for people who did not file an income tax return for 2019 or 2020 and did not use the IRS Non-filers tool last year to register for Economic Impact Payments.

The tool enables them to provide required information about themselves and their qualifying children age 17 and under. Users of the tool can also choose to enter direct deposit bank information so the IRS can deposit the payments directly into their checking or savings account.

Eligible individuals who filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return or used the IRS Non-filers tool last year to register for Economic Impact Payments do not need to take any action to receive their advance Child Tax Credit payments beginning in July.

The tool, an update of last year’s IRS Non-filers tool, is also designed to help eligible individuals who don’t normally file income tax returns register for the $1,400 third round of Economic Impact Payments (also known as stimulus checks) and claim the Recovery Rebate Credit for any amount of the first two rounds of Economic Impact Payments they may have missed.

The  American Rescue Plan increased the maximum Child Tax Credit amount in 2021 to $3,600 per child for children under the age of 6 and to $3,000 per child for children ages 6 through 17.

The advance Child Tax Credit payments, which will generally be made on the 15th of each month, create financial certainty for families to plan their budgets.

Eligible families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under age 6, and up to $250 per month for each child ages 6 through 17.

The first monthly payment of the expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit will be made on July 15.

Most families will begin receiving monthly payments automatically next month without any further action required.

For families who are not required to file an income tax return but are still eligible for advance Child Tax Credit payments, the IRS worked with Intuit and the Free File Alliance to launch this new online tool.

Economic Impact Payments with a value of approximately $395 billion as a part of the American Rescue Plan.

For additional information for taxpayers on how they can access the Child Tax Credit, visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021 and see Frequently Asked Questions.