Tax day is here, but the expanded Child Tax Credit never materialized

Earlier this year, the federal Child Tax Credit appeared headed for an expansion that would have helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. But the expanded CTC failed to materialize ahead of the April 15 tax deadline, and its future appears uncertain. 

The bill, called the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, easily passed the House in February with bipartisan support. But it currently remains mired in the Senate, with Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, telling NBC News earlier this month that the bill is "on life support."

Some parents were watching the bill's progress because it had a provision that could have boosted their refund for their 2023 taxes, which are due on April 15 (unless a taxpayer requests an extension.) The expanded CTC would have bumped up the credit's maximum per-child refund amount to $1,800, up from $1,600 in its current form.