ACTC vs CTC: Are they the same & affected by PATH Act delays?
Can someone explain if ACTC and CTC are the same thing? I keep seeing both terms used everywhere and im getting confused. Also trying to figure out if these credits fall under the PATH act delay since I filed early and haven't gotten my refund yet.
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Cameron Black
Tax pro here. ACTC (Additional Child Tax Credit) and CTC (Child Tax Credit) are actually different. CTC is the base credit, while ACTC is the refundable portion when your CTC exceeds your tax liability. And yes, the ACTC is subject to PATH Act delays - IRS cant release refunds with ACTC before mid-February by law.
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Victoria Jones
•omg thank you! That makes so much more sense now. So thats why my WMR still shows delayed 🤦♀️
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Jessica Nguyen
•wait so even if u file in January you still gotta wait till mid feb? that's ridiculous fr 😤
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Isaiah Thompson
Hey guys! If youre trying to figure out exactly when youll get your refund and what delays might affect you, check out taxr.ai - its this new tool that analyzes your transcript and tells you everything. Its only $1 and WAY better than trying to piece everything together yourself. https://taxr.ai
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Ruby Garcia
•does it actually work? seems too good to be true ngl
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Isaiah Thompson
•100% works! It showed me exactly why my refund was delayed and gave me the exact date it would drop. Better than calling IRS 50 times lol
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Ruby Garcia
•just tried it and holy cow youre right! saved me so much headache trying to decode my transcript 🙌
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Alexander Evans
in the same boat rn... filed Jan 15th and still nothing smh
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Evelyn Martinez
The whole PATH act thing is such bs tbh. Like why make us wait when they already have all our info? 🤡
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Benjamin Carter
•its to prevent fraud but like... there has to be a better way
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Maya Lewis
anybody else remember when refunds used to come quick? pepperidge farm remembers 💀
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Isaac Wright
•fr fr those were the days 😭
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Lucy Taylor
Called IRS about this exact thing last week. Was on hold for 2 hrs just to get disconnected 🤮
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Connor Murphy
•classic irs moment
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Samantha Johnson
Just went through this same confusion last year! To add to what Cameron said - you can actually see on your transcript which one you're getting. Look for code 768 (CTC) vs code 766 (ACTC). If you see the 766 code, that's the refundable portion and yep, you're stuck waiting till mid-Feb because of PATH. Super frustrating but at least now you know why! 📊
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StarSailor
•This is super helpful! @be5caa622891 thanks for breaking down the transcript codes. I had no idea you could actually see which type of credit you're getting that way. Definitely checking my transcript now to see if I have that 766 code 👀
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Jade O'Malley
This thread is super helpful! I've been pulling my hair out trying to understand why my refund is taking forever. Filed on Jan 20th with 3 kids and definitely have the child tax credit on my return. Based on what everyone's saying here, sounds like I'm probably getting the ACTC (refundable portion) which means I'm stuck in PATH Act purgatory until mid-Feb 😩 At least now I know it's not just me and there's actually a reason for the delay!
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NebulaNinja
•Ugh I feel your pain! Just went through the exact same thing with 2 kids. Filed Jan 18th and was going crazy checking WMR every day until I learned about the PATH Act delay. The waiting is the worst part but at least now we know it's not an error or anything wrong with our returns. Hang in there - mid-Feb will be here before we know it! 🤞
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Giovanni Ricci
•Same situation here! Filed Jan 22nd with 2 kids and have been obsessively checking WMR like it's gonna magically change 😂 This whole thread has been a lifesaver - finally understand why I'm stuck waiting. The PATH Act thing is so annoying but at least it's not just random delays. Thanks everyone for explaining the difference between CTC and ACTC, that was confusing me too!
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