Caregiver Perceptions and Experiences of the Child Tax Credit Expansion: Evidence from Maryland

The child tax credit expansion of 2021 heralded a substantial, albeit temporary, expansion of the social safety net. Despite the breadth of evidence regarding the credit's effects on population health, there has been little attention to how families experienced and understood it. This study uses semi-structured interviews conducted between March and June 2023 with 22 caregivers living in Maryland that received the credit to fill gaps about how caregivers experienced the expansion and how their understanding of the expansion shaped these experiences. Caregivers, regardless of income, reported that the expanded child tax credit payments provided financial stability in otherwise uncertain times. However, many were confused by the credit's structure and concerned about its financial implications for their 2022 tax returns, which contributed to financial anxiety and reinforced feelings of mistrust towards the government, particularly among lower- and middle-income caregivers. Although the expanded child tax credit was broadly beneficial, policymakers enacting similar policies in the future should consider distributing funds outside of the federal tax system, which may be confusing for recipients and may contributed to unintended consequences such as financial anxiety.