The IRS offers a refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit to taxpayers with qualifying children. The 2026 tax season began on 26 January 2026, and if you qualify for the ACTC and are preparing to claim it, you can learn the full details from the refund date to others here.
What will be the Additional Child Tax Credit Refund 2026?
The Additional Child Tax Credit is the refundable part of the CTC that is offered to taxpayers whose CTC is more than their tax liability. The ACTC boosts the tax refund of the taxpayers, so if you qualify for this credit, your refund will be increased.
The federal government has increased the Child Tax Credit under the new bill, One Big Beautiful Bill, to $2,200 for each qualifying child, providing relief to many families with children. Although the CTC payout has increased, the ACTC remains the same for each qualifying child, $1,700 per qualifying child.
Who will receive the Additional Child Tax Credit 2026?
The taxpayers qualify for the ACTC when they qualify for the CTC and have a qualifying child. You will qualify for the CTC when your child qualifies for the CTC and each qualifying child has an SSN (issued before the tax return). The eligibility condition for the qualifying child under CTC is as follows:
- The child’s age should be under 17 by the end of the tax year, and he/she must have lived with you for more than 6 months.
- The child’s relationship with you should be as follows: son, daughter, sister, stepbrother/sister, foster child, stepchild, brother/sister, half-brother/sister, or grandchild, or descendant of your family.
- The child should be claimed as a dependent on your tax return and does not provide support of his or her own.
- The child should be a US citizen/ Nationa// or resident alien who has a valid SSN.
Now, to qualify for the ACTC, your earned income for the tax year should be at least $2,500, while for the CTC, the annual income should not exceed $200,000 (for individuals) or $400,000 (for joint filers).
When can you expect the Additional Child Tax Credit 2026?
The IRS processes tax refunds with ACTC or EITC credits after mid-February due to the PATH Act restriction, so if filed early or before that, you can expect your refund to abide by this law. The IRS has another change in the refund processed, the paper check refund has stopped under the Executive order from the federal government.
The IRS processed the direct deposit refund after 3 weeks of filing the tax return, while under the PATH Act restriction, you have to wait till 03 March 2026 to receive your refund. Some taxpayers can receive the payment earlier in the last week of February 2026 due to the financial institution.
However, at most, you will receive your refund by 03 March 2026 if you have filed your tax return early in the 2026 filing season. After that, the ACTC refund will be processed as per the tax refunds or as per the standard process.
How to track the ACTC refund?
Now, if you are expecting the ACTC refund or preparing to file the tax credit, you must know that you can even track its status to be aware of your tax processing. The IRS allows taxpayers to track the ACTC status through the Where’s My Refund tool.
The tool is available for taxpayers to track the refund status after 24 hours of e-filing. However, for the return with ACTC, you can expect the tool to update about the refund status by 21 February 2026, as the process will only begin after mid-February 2026.
So, use the Where’s My Refund tool to track your ACTC refund in the following steps with your SSN, tax year, and refund amount:
- Go to the IRS individual tax account, the IRS website, or the IRS2Go mobile app.
- Click the Refund status option, and on the new page, click the “Check Your Refund.”
- Next, you will need to enter your SSN, refund amount, tax year, and select the filing status.
- After clicking Submit, your ACTC refund status will appear on the screen, and you can check if the refund has been issued. If the status shows a refund sent, then you can expect the refund in 4 to 5 days in your bank account or debit card.
The ACTC refund will be processed along with your tax refund for the 2025 tax return; however, keep in mind that the IRS has phased out paper check refunds, so remember to enter your bank account information. If you have already filed the tax return and claimed the ACTC tax credit, keep the refund date in mind and keep track of your refund through the Where’s My Refund tool.