2026 What Is a Payment Hold on the First-Half Earned Income Tax Credit? Why the December 35% Payment Is Being Withheld and How to Check
The first-half earned income tax credit for 2026 is generally scheduled to pay 35% of the estimated annual amount by December 30. However, not all applicants receive their payments at the same time. Starting this year, the review process has been improved to allow first-half payments to be withheld when a refund recovery is expected during the following year's reconciliation. Therefore, if no payment arrives in December, you should not immediately assume that your application has been rejected or that there is an application...