Key Point: The IRS is expected to send out the first advance child tax credit payment to millions of American families in roughly two weeks as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill.

The enhanced child tax credit not only boosted the payment amount, but also widened the credit’s eligibility, allowing those who do not make enough income to file a tax return to qualify for the credit. Officials from the IRS and Treasury Department launched an online tool earlier this month to reach those who don’t usually file, where it asks users to register with their name, address and Social Security number, and the agency will automatically determine their eligibility based on that information. 

But one problem—it’s reportedly not that easy to use. 

“It looks like crap and it’s not really usable,” Matt Bruenig, founder of the People’s Policy Project, a left-leaning think-tank, told Insider. “It’s intimidating to use. It doesn’t work in a mobile phone and there’s no Spanish. It’s just really bad.” 

The tool can only be used on a desktop computer or laptop since the text stretches and is difficult to navigate on a mobile phone.

The website also requires users to enter an email address prior to registering and is only in English. 

“For it to reach the people we want it to reach and to have the impact we want, it needs to be in multiple languages,” Sergio Mata-Cisneros, a policy analyst with Christian anti-hunger organization Bread for the World, told HuffPost. “We would like to see the email requirement eliminated. Making it mobile friendly—you can’t use it on your phone—we are really concerned about that.”

Some groups even dubbed the tool as “inaccessible,” especially to underserved communities, according to HuffPost.

But these issues add to the digital divide that exists among the economic classes across the U.S. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Americans earning less than $30,000 are more likely to have smartphones than desktop computers.

The Biden administration has repeatedly said that the child tax credit and subsequent online tools will be easy to understand and navigate. 

“At Treasury, our goal is to make sure that every American can get the relief funding they need as simply as possible,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement when the online portal launched. 

Meanwhile, Intuit, the company behind TurboTax and private partner in making the tool, was quick to pin the blame on the IRS for the technical issues that users were experiencing. 

“Thanks for reaching out, Paul. This website was created by the IRS. It does appear to work best on a computer. I suggest giving that a try,” an Intuit QuickBooks IT member tweeted in response to a user that contacted the company by Twitter. 

Rachel Bucchino is a reporter at the National Interest. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and The Hill. 

Image: Reuters.