Mothers from Chicago and suburbs say that Child Tax Credit expansion will make a huge difference
Mothers from the Chicago area say that the expansion of the Child Tax Credit is going to have a big impact on their families.
The expansions increase the maximum amount of the credit for 2021 to $3,600 per child for a child under 6 and $3,000 per child for an older child.
In Illinois, this will benefit 2.5 million children and their families.
Monica McKelphin, who's a single mom of a nine-year-old daughter living on the South Side of Chicago, says the money will make life easier.
"It will make a huge difference in my household, especially with my child's school supplies coming up, with new clothes and her school uniforms, because she grows so fast," McKelphin said.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) said the extra money will have a direct impact on struggling, working, lower income families in areas "across the board."
"This tax credit is definitely a blessing," said Maria Ramirez, a working mom in Waukegan. "I am working two jobs as a middle class American in Lake County. I've never qualified for any government assistance because I've made just over the minimum bracket. So it leaves me in a predicament where I don't qualify, so I have to get a second job."