It has been reported that the Child Tax Credit program will often land one in cases where fraudulent individuals would be claiming someone else’s dependent before one does. This is why there are a few important steps that one could take if this happened to them. There have been multiple cases where individuals have received messages that state that someone else has claimed their dependent before them.
In this case, one would have to verify if the information entered was correct about the dependent that one has claimed. There are also instances where one might have entered incorrect information about the dependent. All one needs to remember is to pen down the incorrect number or the letter from the last name of the dependent.
Three Steps To Follow If You Haven’t Received Your Child Tax Credit
First, one would have to file a paper return once it is confirmed that one would be eligible to claim as one’s dependent. One has to initially prepare for their paper tax return, then claim the dependent. Finally, they would have to mail the completed tax return back to the IRS.
The refund would then be delayed while the IRS would investigate the case- as they prove that the dependent for Person A was fraudulently claimed by Person B. Second, one would have to prove that they are indeed eligible for this child tax credit by showing the legitimate documents that prove the dependent is under one’s care. And third, one would have to answer when the IRS decides to contact them.
It must be mentioned that federal privacy laws will never allow the IRS to tell someone who claimed their dependent, but they would be allowed to disclose it in the event of a fraudulent return. So, make sure you follow the steps- so that you can safely and securely access your child tax credit.
