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State Child Tax Credits: A Promising Policy to Improve Child Outcomes 

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Ever since the successful temporary expansion of the federal child tax credit (CTC) in 2021, state CTCs have become an increasingly common state policy to support families’ economic stability. Prior to the expansion, only 6 states had a CTC and, as of tax year 2025, there are 17 states that have a CTC. 

Although there is a lot more to study, preliminary research shows state CTCs are a promising policy to improve child and family outcomes, including increasing families’ resources and reducing child maltreatment rates. 

Learn more about how CTCs vary across the states and what the early research on the policy is telling us.

Download the brief

Explore our Cash Transfers Evidence Review to learn more about the federal child tax credit expansion. 

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