Federal lawmakers are praising the Child Tax Credit, but many of the Hudson Valley families it was intended for are not.

Getting the Child Tax Credit was supposed to be "easy."

"This isn't some big bureaucratic process. There's not a bunch of forms to fill out. You're going to get it automatically in your bank account," said Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney.

So Hudson Valley parents eagerly checked their accounts Thursday morning for that extra cash, but not everyone got paid - and others got the wrong amount.

News 12 asked parents about their experience with getting the federal funds on Facebook and more than half of the nearly 500 people who responded say something went wrong.

"I think they should be getting those checks this week so if they have trouble though, they can also call my office," says Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Maloney say if there are delays, it may take several days for the first payments to roll out.

Parents with new babies or those who haven't filed taxes in two years should sign up for the credit on childtaxcredit.gov.

If you need help getting your Child Tax Credit payment, Rep. Maloney and Sen. Gillibrand's offices say to get in touch by phone or email.

Rep. Maloney's office says the Child Tax Credit has already distributed $15 billion to over 35 million qualifying families.