Resources
General Resources
ABC Coalition Child Allowance Principles
March 2023
Led by the Parent & Caregiver Advisory Board and volunteers from several member organizations, the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition has developed the following principles to guide advocates and policymakers in the fight for a permanent, inclusive, and transformative child allowance program.
Principios del Subsidio Infantil
March 2023
Dirigido por la Junta Asesora de Madres/Padres y Cuidadores y voluntario/a/s de varias organizaciones miembros, la Coalición para Beneficios Infantiles Automáticos (ABC en inglés) ha desarrollado los siguientes principios para guiar a quienes abogan y a los legisladores en la lucha por un programa de subsidio infantil permanente, inclusivo y transformador.
Principles for a direct e-file tool
December 2022
Led by the Access and Implementation Working Group, the Automatic Benefit for Children (ABC) Coalition has developed the following principles to guide the IRS’ development of a permanent, free e-file tool to ensure crucial tax credits are available to families who need them most.
BRIEF: To Reach Every Child, the Child Tax Credit Eligibility Requirements Must Be Changed
June 2021
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law in March, includes a significant, one-year expansion to the Child Tax Credit (CTC), which will help increase children’s access to a regular and meaningful cash benefit program beginning in July 2021. Millions of newly eligible children and their families will benefit from this major expansion and successful implementation is critical to effectively build income security, reduce child poverty, advance racial equity, and provide the baseline for a guaranteed income for all children.
FACT SHEET: The Build Back Better Act’s Child Tax Credit: How the bill gets us one step closer to a true child allowance
September 2021
In early September 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee approved their portion of the Build Back Better Act (BBBA), which includes and extension of the American Rescue Plan Act’s Child Tax Credit (CTC) through 2025. While this proposal falls short of making the program permanent, the plan includes many substantial and important improvements to the CTC.
EXPLAINER: How the Ways & Means Proposal Ensures the Child Tax Credit Will Follow the Child and Supports Caregivers
September 2021
The expanded Child Tax Credit supports millions of children and families, including many children who live with grandparents and other caregivers. But some children and caregivers are excluded from the CTC and do not receive the support they need because of arcane rules in the tax code that limit the ability of the CTC to “follow the child” and respond to the reality of real families’ lives as they change from month to month. The Ways and Means draft of the Build Back Better Act includes important fixes that ensure all children and families can receive the support they need.
WEBINAR: Ensuring Families Receive the Child Tax Credit
July 2021
This webinar shared innovative outreach strategies to raise awareness about the child tax credit and how families can sign up.
Published Sign On Letters
ABC members comments on data sharing between IRS and Census to advance equity
Fourteen Coalition members support data disclosure from the IRS to the Bureau of the Census, which will provide an important opportunity for government and independent researchers to understand demographic trends in the uptake of the CTC, as well as to identify and track potential disparities in tax administration.
Letter to Senate from 330 National, State, and Local Organizations: Do Not Weaken CTC in Tax Package
Three-hundred and thirty national, state, and local organizations urge the Senate to oppose amendments to the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 that would reduce the number of children who benefit from the Child Tax Credit or eliminate the “lookback” provision.
Letter to Commissioner Werfel about Addressing Racial Disparities in Auditing
Sixty-four national, state, and local organizations concerned about racial disparities in the IRS auditing process call on Commissioner Werfel to urge the Internal Revenue Service to report on any racial disparities in auditing at least annually, further disaggregate data by race and ethnicity, report audit rate disparities by county and zip code, and take measures to repair the harm caused by racial disparities in auditing.
Welcome letter to Commissioner Werfel from the ABC Coalition
Twenty-one members of the Coalition co-signed this letter to Commissioner Werfel welcoming him to the IRS, expressing gratitude for his commitment to making it easier for people with low-incomes and who face barriers to filing to access vital credits, like the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and looking forward to continuing collaboration with the IRS to lay the foundation for the agency to equitably administer a future child allowance.
Letter to Commissioner Werfel Supporting IRS's Creation of Direct File Tool
More than 50 organizations co-signed this letter to Commissioner Werfel expressing support for the IRS’ creation of a free, accessible direct file tool, to make tax filing easier for families and improve take-up of crucial tax benefits like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit.
Letter to Secretary Yellen and Commissioner Rettig
Fifty members of the ABC Coalition call on Secretary Yellen and Commissioner Rettig to urge the Internal Revenue to send letters to parents and caregivers who received the advanced Child Tax Credit (CTC) between July and December 2021, but who have not yet filed to claim the second half of their payments.
Letter to President Biden and Members of Congress
Fifty members of the ABC Coalition call on Congress to prioritize the needs of families and children being squeezed by inflation and extend the expanded monthly Child Tax Credit (CTC), including for immigrant children, as part of any economic or tax legislative package.
Letter to President Biden and Members of Congress
ABC Coalition, alongside more than 400 child and family well-being organizations, letter calling on President Biden and Members of Congress to enact the Build Back Better Act that includes a fully expanded and inclusive CTC as passed by the House.
Letter to Secretary Yellen, Assistant Secretary Batchelder, and Commissioner Rettig
ABC Coalition letter calling on Secretary Yellen, Assistant Secretary Batchelder, and Commissioner Rettig to allow families to file taxes using a simplified filing tool to receive the CTC starting in early 2022.
Letter to President Biden and Members of Congress
ABC Coalition, alongside more than 700 child and family well-being organizations, write a letter calling on President Biden and Members of Congress to make the CTC permanent. The complete list of sponsoring organizations can be found here. (as of September 1, 2021)
Letter to Secretary Yellen and Commissioner Rettig
ABC Coalition letter calling on Secretary Yellen and Commissioner Rettig to create a simplified filing tool.
Letter to President Biden and Secretary Yellen
ABC Coalition letter calling on President Biden and Secretary Yellen to make permanent the CTC expansion included in the American Rescue Plan. (March 29, 2021)
Letter to Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McConnell, and Minority Leader McCarthy
ABC Coalition letter calling on Congressional leadership to include an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) in COVID-19 relief.