Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Parents in the United States will begin receiving their second child tax payment on Friday, the Internal Revenue Service says.
The first payments went out to eligible recipients a month ago. They are part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.
The new child tax credit increased the maximum of $2,000 to as much as $3,600 and allows families to receive 50% of their child's tax credit from July 15 to Dec. 15.
Many families with qualifying children receive will receive monthly payments of $300 per month per child.
The White House said last month that nearly 40 million American families qualify for the credit and the funds will benefit roughly 65 million children.
According to Census data, the percentage of American children who said in the past week that they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat declined from 11% to less than 8%, a signal that the first round of payments was effective.
"It is great news that the estimated rate of hunger among those with children is at a pandemic low," said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, according to Politico.
Researchers say an improving economy and special pandemic food aid are other provisions that are helping children in the United States.
The next four payments are scheduled to go out on the 15th of September, October, November and December.
