WE DID IT. WE WON!!! Parents across Illinois score a huge victory with the passage of the Child Tax Credit! Last night, Illinois lawmakers approved a budget that includes $150 million Child Tax Credit for working parents. WCRJ is proud to be a part of this victory as part of the Illinois Cost-Of-Living Refund Coalition.

If you've been following since the beginning of the 103rd General Assembly (January 2023), you know the amount of time and energy Workers Center for Racial Justice members have put into this campaign. Press conferences, rallies, and testimonies in Springfield are just some of the tactics it took to make this happen. In the end, the fight that culminated in a huge victory for over 1.4 million children across Illinois. The bill includes $50 million for tax year 2024 and $100 million for tax year 2025.

What Does This Mean: Over the next two years parents should expect to receive a $300-$600 tax credit (based on household size) if a child in the household is under the age of 13 on December 31,2024. The credit is distributed as a one time payment as part of the 2024 tax refund (filed in 2025). The credit will increase the following year, as more funds are directed to the program. 

Workers Center for Racial Justice would like to send a special shoutout to Ms. CTC herself, Krystal Peters, long time WCRJ member who transitioned to full time Child Care Organizer in the Fall of 2023. We know that Krystal and her newly organized cohort of Power Parents was the secret sauce to get this over the finish line! With your help, we'll continue to fight to expand the child tax credit to ALL children regardless of age! If you would like to be a Power Parent whose overall goal is free Child Care for All, sign up to be join our Child Care for All Committee!