The Health Insurance Marketplace is a way to find and buy private health insurance coverage for individuals and families. You can “shop” for different insurance plans and compare your options for coverage. This Open Enrollment Period runs starting November 1, 2021 through January 15, 2022. You must enroll in a plan by December 15, 2021 for coverage to begin on January 1, 2022.

Who is eligible?

• U.S. citizens, nationals, and noncitizens who are lawfully present
• Must live in the U.S. and cannot be incarcerated
• If you receive Medicare coverage, you may not buy a health or dental plan on the Marketplace

What is the benefit?

• This Open Enrollment Period (lasting until January 15, 2022) provides an opportunity for you to enroll in Marketplace health insurance coverage or change your existing Marketplace plan if it is not meeting your needs.
• More people than ever before will qualify for help with the cost of their health coverage.

How can I apply?

• Before you apply, you can enter in a few details and preview the plans you’ll have access to and see the estimated prices (based on your location, household size, and income).
• Visit https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/ and select your state to get started with an application.
• Need help with the application? There are a few options:
  • Local assistance through brokers/agents can help with the process of enrollment and discussing your choices
  • Triage Cancer, a nonprofit organization, has videos and quick guides available online about Marketplace insurance plans and how to choose your coverage

The American Rescue Plan temporarily expands the child tax credit for 2021 through two key changes. It significantly increases the child tax credit amount for one year. The IRS is also required to make advance payments to qualifying families during the second half of 2021.

Who is eligible?

• Children ages 0-17 who are a U.S. citizen, national, or resident noncitizen.
• The child must have a Social Security number.
• You also must claim your child as a dependent on your 2021 tax return, and the child must be related to you and generally live with you for at least six months during the year.
• Families may qualify for the full expanded tax break with an annual adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $75,000 for single returns, $112,500 for head-of-household returns, and $150,000 for joint returns. The tax credit will phase out for families above these income limits.
• You don’t need to be employed or have earned income in order to claim the child tax credit for 2021, if you meet all the other rules.

What is the benefit?

• The child tax credit directly reduces the amount of income tax you owe the IRS.
• This expansion increases the credit to $3,000 per child ($3,600 per child under age 6) for many families (see the income limits, listed above).
• The IRS is required to pay half of the tax credit in advance through installment payments to qualifying families.

How can I apply?

• The IRS plans to send out the advance tax credit payments periodically from July through December 2021 to eligible families. The IRS will base eligibility and the amount of advance payments on your previously filed tax returns.
• You will be able to claim the remaining half of the tax credit when you file your 2021 taxes next spring.

Reference: https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/602431/child-tax-credit-2021-who-gets-3600-will-i-get-monthly-payments-and-other-faqs | https://smartasset.com/taxes/all-about-child-tax-credits

If you have federal student loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education, payments are currently suspended through January 31, 2022.

Who is eligible?

• Students with the following loans owned by the U.S. Department of Education are eligible:
  • Defaulted and nondefaulted Direct Loans
  • Defaulted and nondefaulted FFEL Program loans
  • Defaulted and nondefaulted Federal Perkins Loans
  • Defaulted HEAL loans
• To find out if your Direct and FFEL Program loans are owned by ED, visit StudentAid.gov/login.

What is the benefit?

• From March 20, 2020 – January 31, 2022:
  • Payments are not required on eligible student loans (you can still make payments if you choose).
  • The interest rate is 0% on eligible student loans, which means interest doesn’t accrue.
  • Suspended payments will still count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness if all other qualifications are met.

How can I apply?

• No action is needed if your loan is eligible – these benefits are granted automatically.
• If your loan is not owned by the U.S. Department of Education, then contact your servicer to ask about what benefits may be available.
• Find out more information about how to prepare for student loan payments to resume in February 2022.

Reference: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus