Child tax credit: Could the amount change during Trump's presidency?

(NEXSTAR) – President Trump has returned to the White House, and with tax season just days away some Americans may be wondering how the 47th president's administration might affect their child tax credit.

Thanks to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the child tax credit is capped at $2,000 per eligible child – down from a maximum of $3,600 per child during the pandemic, but double that of tax year 2016.

However, there is some uncertainty about the credit entering Trump's second term as his signature tax legislation is set to expire at the end of 2025.

"Congressional action is required or the Child Tax Credit will revert to $1,000 per child," Adam Brewer, tax attorney with AB Tax Law, told Nexstar. "There is bipartisan support to keep the Child Tax Credit at $2,000 so that provision will most likely be extended. Should that not occur, then as 2025 winds town taxpayers with children should evaluate whether to increase income tax withholding or estimated tax payments."

During a January policy hearing of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said the child tax credit benefits about 40 million families annually, and invited a Virginia mother, Margaret Marple, to speak.

"As a stay-at-home mom and raising kids at home, there’s a lot of pressure at every angle, and a big one is financial. It influences your marriage. It influences all your decisions, especially grocery shopping and trying to meet needs for your growing family," Marple said. "The child tax credit is a powerful form of communication, where the government communicates to people like me working behind the scenes, that my job raising kids is important to the stability and the prosperity of our country."

The child tax credit was also a popular topic during the presidential race in 2024, with both Trump and then-Vice President Kamala Harris publicly supporting the tax break, but disagreeing on who should get it.

For all its economic prosperity, childhood poverty remains pervasive in the United States. Children under 5 are the age group most likely to encounter poverty and eviction, and more than one in six young people under 18 live below the federal poverty line. Meanwhile, it’s getting more expensive to raise a child, with the cost of groceries, child care and housing going up.

Currently, the child tax credit gives families a $2,000 discount on their tax bill for every child under the age of 17 in their care. Families that pay less than $2,000 in income tax get a smaller benefit, and parents who are out of the workforce get none.

Harris had expressed support for a plan that would provide monthly payments instead of a tax refund, and would include parents who weren't working and paid no income tax. Many Republicans expressed support for the child tax credit but balked at giving payments to parents who weren't working, with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) likening the plan to "cash welfare instead of relief for working taxpayers."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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