The IRS letter 6419 should be coming in the mail soon if it hasn’t already. This is a letter from the IRS containing information about the advance child tax credit payments you would have received in 2021. It will help you report the amounts correctly, claim the other half of your child tax credit, and avoid delays in processing your return and refund. We’re going to walk through exactly what the letter 6419 is and what to do if you don’t have yours.

What is Letter 6419?

Essentially, this letter from the IRS acts as a tax form. It is the official document containing the information you need to report your advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payments. More specifically, the letter will tell you the total amount of advance CTC payments you received for 2021 and the number of qualifying children counted in determining the advance CTC. Additionally, the letter explains how the amount was calculated and the conditions for repayment.

Can I use my bank statement instead of the letter to file?

It is strongly recommended that you use letter 6419 to file your taxes. Reporting the wrong amount on your return could result in a manual review of your return thereby delaying your refund.

We don’t suggest using your bank statements to verify the amount you received in advance CTC payments because the amounts may have been adjusted for various reasons. For example, the amounts may have changed from one payment to the next as you made changes in the IRS Child Tax Credit portal.

How do I know if I had received a letter 6419?

If you received even one advance CTC payment between July and December 2021, you should have received a letter 6419. If you are married, each parent will receive their own letter. You’ll need both to file your return and claim the second half of your credit.

What if I lost my letter 6419?

Don’t worry! If you lost your letter 6419, there’s another resource you can use to file. With an ID.me account, you can use the IRS Child Tax Credit portal to verify details from the letter. The steps to check your advance CTC payments are as follows:

1. Create an ID.me account if you don’t already have one. Follow this link to do so: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal
2. Click Manage Advance Payments.
3. Click ID.me Create new account
4. Follow the instructions on-screen and provide the necessary information to set up your account. It’s important to note that users might be required to upload a live video of themselves and/or photo identification. Go to the ID.me help page if you need assistance.

Once your account is created, you can access the portal from the link above.

Get help reporting your advance CTC payments

If you would like additional help reporting your CTC payments and filing your taxes, our CPAs at BaCo Group can help you! With your letter 6419, we can report your 2021 advance payments and help you claim the second half of your credit. Contact our office today for help reporting your advance CTC payments!