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Eligibility:
According to the IRS, "You qualify for advance Child Tax Credit payments if you have a qualifying child. Also, you — or your spouse, if married filing a joint return — must have your main home in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia for more than half the year. Your main home can be any location where you regularly live. Your main home may be your house, apartment, mobile home, shelter, temporary lodging, or other location and doesn’t need to be the same physical location throughout the taxable year. You don’t need a permanent address to get these payments. If you are temporarily away from your main home because of illness, education, business, vacation, or military service, you are generally treated as living in your main home." It is important to note that this is for children that do not turn 18 before January 1, 2022. 

Amount Received:
The amount received each month is dependent on the ages of the children, filing status and income thresholds. Children ages 5 and under by the end of 2021 are set to qualify for a total of a $3600 child tax credit. This means that parents would receive 6 equal payments of half ($1800), which is $300 each month. Children 6 to 17 by the end of 2021 are set to qualify for $3000. Again, parents would receive 6 equal payments ($1500), which $250 each month. 
As mentioned, there are some income restrictions that can change the amount received for each qualifying child. The income is based on your adjusted gross income amount for 2019 or 2020. There are two phase outs to reduce the payments received. The first phase out drops the maximum to $2000 per child, the original child tax credit amount. "The Child Tax Credit begins to be reduced to $2,000 per child if your modified AGI [adjusted gross income] in 2021 exceeds:

• $150,000 if married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
• $112,500 if filing as head of household; or
• $75,000 if you are a single filer or are married and filing a separate return.

The first phaseout reduces the Child Tax Credit by $50 for each $1,000 (or fraction thereof) by which your modified AGI exceeds the income threshold described above that is applicable to you."

The second phase out drops the payment below $2000. "The Child Tax Credit won’t begin to be reduced below $2,000 per child until your modified AGI in 2021 exceeds:

• $400,000 if married and filing a joint return; or
• $200,000 for all other filing statuses.

The second phaseout reduces the Child Tax Credit by $50 for each $1,000 (or fraction thereof) by which your modified AGI exceeds the income threshold described above that is applicable to you."

*** The amount you receive is currently based on your 2019 or 2020 taxes, if your adjusted gross income increases to the levels mentioned above and you have received the advanced payments, you will be required to pay it back!***
      Example: If you and your spouse filed a joint return for 2020 with an AGI of $100,000 then you would qualify for the increased advance credit. If this  couple accepts the monthly payments and then files their 2021 taxes and their AGI is $175,000- they would OWE the IRS the tax credit back. 

Opting Out of the Credit :
There are a few reasons one might choose to opt out of the monthly payments for the child credit. A family might be close to the income restrictions and not want to pay the amount they receive back or maybe you want to save the money for taxes you might owe. No matter the reason, you can choose to opt out of receiving the monthly payments. In order to unenroll, all you need to do is visit the IRS website before each month's deadline.  The next payment date is scheduled for August 13, 2021, if you wish to opt prior to receiving this payment you must unenroll by August 2, 2021. The full list is as follows:

You should know that if you choose to unenroll, at this time, you cannot re-enroll. Also, if you have filed jointly both you and the second person must unenroll if you wish to opt out. 

Additional Information: 
There is additional information available on the IRS website, including a section to determine your eligibility. You can also change your address, marital status, and number of children. If you need to update your bank account information, you can do that as well. Lastly, if you are not required to file your 2019 or 2020 taxes, you can still receive the child tax credit. Click on the section that says "Non-Filers".

Information provided from:
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021 
 

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Yesterday and today the state of California issued a flex alert. This is a way of conserving energy between the hours of 4pm and 9pm, when energy levels typically increase the most. We are asking our residents to help keep energy levels down during the peak hours. Below is information about what a flex alert is and how you can help.

Information is provided by https://www.flexalert.org/what-is-flex-alert 

What is a Flex Alert?

A Flex Alert is a call for consumers to voluntarily conserve electricity when there is an anticipated shortage of energy supply, especially if the grid operator needs to use reserves to maintain grid integrity. When consumers reduce electricity use during a Flex Alert, it can prevent more dire emergency measures, including rotating power outages.

Who issues a Flex Alert?

A Flex Alert is issued by the California ISO, a nonprofit, public benefit corporation, which manages the flow of electricity along the high-voltage electric grid for 80 percent of California. The state’s three investor-owned utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Edison, are responsible for delivering electricity from the high-voltage grid to its customers. Learn more about the California ISO.

What can trigger a Flex Alert?

A Flex Alert is typically issued in the summer when extremely hot weather drives up electricity use, making the available power supply scarce. This usually happens in the evening hours when renewable energy resources are no longer available, but temperatures remain high and consumers are returning home and switching on air conditioners, lights, and appliances.

Other contributing factors include:

• Unplanned power plant outages
• Fires that threaten or affect transmission lines
• Humid, hot weather and heat storms

When is a Flex Alert issued?

Flex Alerts are typically issued a day before it is needed, so consumers can prepare. However, grid emergencies can happen suddenly, prompting the ISO to issue a Flex Alert will little or no advance notice. When possible, Flex Alerts are targeted to regions of the state where the system is stressed.

What should consumers do when a Flex Alert is issued?

When consumers receive a Flex Alert, it is important for them to shift their energy use to the morning and early afternoon hours.

Morning before a Flex Alert, consumers should:

• Pre-cool their homes by lowering air conditioning thermostats to 72 degrees
• Close blinds and drapes to keep the sun from heating up the home
• Turn off unnecessary lights
• Use dishwashers, washing machines and other major appliances
• Set pool pumps to run early in the morning
• Charge mobile devices and laptops
• Charge electric vehicles

During a Flex Alert, when conservation is needed, consumers should:

• Set air conditioner thermostats to 78 degrees, if health permits
• Avoid using dishwashers, washers, dryers, and ovens
• Turn off unnecessary lights
• Unplug or turn off electrical devices that you are not using
• Keep blinds and drapes closed to prevent the sun from heating up the home
• Use fans when possible

How are rotating outages managed?

When there is not enough energy to meet the demand, the California ISO will direct the investor-owned utilities to rotate power outages within their service areas to avoid the collapse of the grid, and the possibility of the power being out for a much longer period of time.

The investor-owned utilities are responsible for determining the location and duration of the rotating outage within their service areas. Because the utilities are responsible for managing the rotating outages, consumers experiencing a power outage need to contact their electric power provider to learn when power will be restored.

How are consumers notified?

Consumers are encouraged to sign-up to receive an email notification when a Flex Alert is issued. Flex Alerts are also sent through the ISO Today mobile app, Twitter, Facebook, and promoted on the ISO’s website at www.caiso.com. The ISO also notifies the media to help increase awareness of the Flex Alert.

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For more information on the significance of this day in American history please visit the links below:

https://history.com/juneteenth

Juneteenth.com

http://nationaljuneteenth.com/

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Michael’s is offering FREE online classes today! Click on the link below to register! 

https://www.michaels.com/creativityday#curated_tours_list_name=Michaels_Day_of_Creativity

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"Thank you friends at Arcadian Apartments for all you do for us over the years. We love our home here and our gratitude comes from all your care and help! Happy Holidays & looking forward to the coming New Year!" 

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Our maintenance staff will be off both days, but the emergency pager is available 24/7. 
If you have any maintenance emergencies, please call the emergency pager. 
If no one answers, please leave a voicemail with your apartment number and call back number and someone should get back to you within 30 minutes. 

The post Christmas Holiday Hours appeared first on Arcadian Blog.

We would also like to take this opportunity to shine light on the many special women of our own here at S-101 Management Co. We have the distinct pleasure of working in partnership with a group of strong, compassionate, resilient and intelligent women – and men, but with all due respect to their awesomeness, this is a day dedicated to women! From the very top of our company, we are led by the enduring strength, courage and kindness of our female leaders who spend their days supporting and uplifting the many women of our organization. On a day when we celebrate women supporting women, we take our hats off to a company who is the embodiment of that sentiment. 

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