$250 Rhode Island child tax-credit checks are on their way. Here's what you need to know

If you have young children, a check is in the mail.

Rhode Island will be paying out $250 election-year child tax credits starting this week, Gov. Dan McKee's administration announced Monday.

Parents making $100,000 per year or less – $200,000 if they are married and filing jointly – are eligible for the per-child credits, which were approved in the state budget in June.

Here's what you need to know:

What do I need to do to get a check?

If you have at least one dependent child 18 years old or younger last year and filed a state tax return, you don't have to do anything. The state Division of Taxation has gone through Rhode Island 2021 tax returns and prepared tax credits for everyone with children.

If I have more than one kid, do I get more money?

Yes. Families can claim credits for up to three children, so some will get $750.

When will checks arrive?

If you filed a tax return in the spring, you should get your child tax credit by the end of the month. If you filed for an extension, you should get your credit by the end of the year, state Tax Administrator Neena Savage said.

How many people are eligible?

The Division of Taxation expects to send checks out to 115,000 filers (a couple filing jointly would count as one filer,) with a combined 183,000 children.

How much are the credits costing the state?

$40 million is budgeted for the child tax credits.

Do babies born this year count?

No, only children born before Jan. 1 are eligible.

Are payments happening through direct deposit?

No. Paper checks only.

Can undocumented immigrants get checks?

If they have been paying Rhode Island taxes and have an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, yes.

How can I find out if my check is coming?

The Rhode Island Division of Taxation website has information about the child tax credits program and a check tracker.

Is the timing of the checks political?

McKee on Monday denied that the timing of the tax credits is at all related to the Nov. 8 general election for which early voting begins Oct. 19.

"That would have happened in the [Democratic] primary," McKee told reporters after a news conference on the tax credits. "This was based on the timing of getting it out as quickly as possible."

The budget authorizing the checks was passed in June, and McKee said it takes around 90 days for administrators to get everything ready.

Ashley Kalus, McKee's Republican opponent on the November ballot, said she supports the child tax credits, but "what I don’t support is the governor waiting months to give them out."

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"The budget, which was signed in June, should have included a mechanism to get relief to families immediately, rather than making hardworking Rhode Islanders wait months. Given that the election is right around the corner, the timing is suspect," she said.

panderson@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI child tax credit checks are on their way