The Connecticut Child Tax Deduction – Unfinished Business

Rocky Hill, CT – Imagine parents having the freedom to invest in their children’s futures without having to constantly worry about paying for basic necessities. This financial stability is out of reach for the 39% of Connecticut families living paycheck to paycheck in every zip code. Meanwhile, our state budget is booming with new record-breaking surpluses of $4 billion.

During the last legislative session, United Way of Connecticut led the CT Child Tax Credit Coalition in advocating for a permanent, fully refundable Connecticut Child Tax Credit—a proven solution that lifted 16 million low-income children out of poverty nationwide in 2021, including 119,000 Connecticut children. Despite lawmakers introducing four bills with 47 co-sponsors, the General Assembly failed to amend the underlying 2025 budget due to fiscal controls. As a result, they were unable to change any tax or revenue policies, including the creation of a state Child Tax Credit.

Connecticut is the only high-cost-of-living state with a broad-based income tax that does not adjust for the number of children or childcare costs. Connecticut parents are struggling to afford what their children need and are demanding tax cuts. In fact, ahead of the 2025 legislative session, more than 500 have signed a Connecticut Child Tax Petition, calling on the Governor and General Assembly to enact a fully refundable Connecticut child tax credit at $600 per child.

A grandmother from Danielson says, “I have a grandchild and I see her parents struggling with mortgages, taxes, utilities, food. Everything is going up except salaries.”

“It’s time to close this gap with a CT Child Tax Credit. Giving money back to families is a proven solution, giving parents the flexibility to buy what their children need most,” said Daniel Fitzmaurice, Director of Advocacy for United Way of Connecticut. “This spending also boosts our economy and state budget — it’s a win-win. I encourage everyone to sign the petition to tell your elected leaders you support the CT Child Tax Credit.”

ABOUT THE CT CHILD TAX CREDIT COALITION

The CT Child Tax Credit Coalition consists of more than 40 nonprofits, foundations and agencies, including: 14 Connecticut United Ways, Hartford Foundation, Connecticut Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Eastern CT, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, SimplifyCT, HRA of New Britain, Inc., Willaim Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, The Village, Hispanic Health Council, Unidad Latina en Accion, Capital Workforce Partners, Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS), Building One Community, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA), She Leads Justice, Connecticut Legal Services, American Academy of Pediatrics, CT Chapter, New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc., Connecticut Voices for Children, Trinfo VITA, Advanced Behavioral Health, All Our Kin, ConnCAN, Connecticut Children’s, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy, Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive Families, Family Centers, Northwest CT Community Foundation, Nuvance Health, Ritter Family Foundation and SVP-CT.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT’S UNITED WAY

The mission of United Way of Connecticut is to help Connecticut residents thrive by providing information, education and connections to services. United Way of Connecticut has been recognized as a 2023 Best Workplace in Connecticut by the Hartford Business Journal. Learn more at 211ct.org. For media inquiries and questions, please visit our media center.