Question

Why am I not seeing child tax credit on my return?

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 8, 2025
3 replies
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I put everything in and I don’t see anything for my kids on my return the amount is still low

Your credits for your kids are usually already included in your refund that's showing. You can check this by removing one of your children and seeing how/if your refund changes.

Hal_Al

There are 7 possible reasons; you aren’t getting the Child Tax credit (CTC). It’s usually #4:

You’ve entered something wrong. In the personal Info section, for the dependent, you must select answers that indicate that he/she is your dependent child. If the child was born during the year, say he/she lived with you all year (note: TurboTax changed how this section is done two years ago, you may need to go thru the interview again or even delete your dependent and start over). If the child was with you for 6 months and 1 day, you need to mark that the child was with you 7 months. The CTC is not an automatic $2000, per child. It is income dependent. If you haven't entered your income yet, the CTC will not show.
Your child may be too old (over 16). You can still claim your child, as a dependent. What you can't claim is the Child tax credit. This comes as a big surprise to many parents the year their child turns 17. A child over age 16 no longer qualifies for the Child Tax credit (CTC). Although a child can still be a student dependent through age 23, and a qualifying child for EIC, the Child Tax Credit expires the year they turn 17 and you no longer get the $2000 CTC. Instead you will get the non-refundable (up to) $500 Other Dependent Credit.
Your income is too high. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is phased out at higher incomes starting at $400,000 for joint filers ($200K single). You lose $50 for each $1000 (rounding up) your income is over that threshold. Previously it was $75,000 for single, head of household, and qualifying widow or widower filers; and $110,000 for joint filers.
Your income is too low. The child tax credit (CTC) is limited to your tax liability. The CTC is a non-refundable credit and can only reduce your income tax to 0, It can not help you beyond eliminating your tax liability. But, if you have more than $2500 of earned income, some or all of it is usually given back to you thru the "Additional Child tax credit". That is, part of the CTC may be on line 28 of form 1040 (2021- 2024) instead of line 19. The ACTC is calculated on form 8812 and is basically 15% of your earned income over $2500. The ACTC is a maximum of $1700 (2024) ($1600 for 2023, $1500 for 2022) per child, not $2000.
You are the custodial parent and the non-custodial parent is claiming the dependent this year. The CTC goes with the dependency, even though the custodial parent still gets the Earned Income Credit, Dependent care credit and Head of Household.
Another possibility is that part of your tax due is not regular income tax, but is self-employment tax (FICA), early distribution penalty or another type of additional tax, for which the CTC cannot be used.
During covid (2021), the child tax credit was expanded and easier to get. That was temporary and those relaxed benefit rules are no longer available.

To get a 'second opinion' on-line direct from IRS, try https://www.irs.gov/uac/is-my-child-a-qualifying-child-for-the-child-tax-credit

TT FAQ https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2625810-why-didn-t-i-get-the-child-tax-credit-or-why-is-it-less-than-last-year-s

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Ten-Facts-about-the-Child-Tax-Credit

R

red_frog

I have exact same problem. when i add my two resident alien kids (under the age of 10), I do not see any tax credit. Ideally I should be getting $500 x 2 for my two kids.

I tried removing them and re-adding. Also tried adding them as other dependents but it keeps saying -

Based on what you told us, <name> doesn't meet the citizenship or residency requirements.

Did anyboby find a solution to this problem?

AmyC

For a child to be claimed for the child tax credit, they must have a social security number by the due date of the return. You may qualify for the Other Dependents Credit. You should review your entries in the program if you qualify. Double check your answer to the support question, some people read it backwards due to the wording.

From $500 Credit for Other Dependents:

They are your biological child, stepchild, adopted child, eligible foster child, sibling or half-sibling, stepsibling, or an offspring of any of these.
They haven’t already been claimed for the Child Tax Credit or Credit for Other Dependents, either by you or by anyone else.
They have an Social Security number (SSN), ITIN, or adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN) issued on or before the due date of your return (including extensions).
They are a US citizen, US resident alien, or US national.
They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
They are under the age of 19 (24 for full-time students; no age limit for permanently and totally disabled children).
They live with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.

From What is the Child Tax Credit?

To qualify, your child must meet all of these requirements:

Be under age 17 at the end of the tax year
Is your child, stepchild, foster child, adopted child, sibling, step sibling, half sibling, or a descendant of any of them (for example, a grandchild, niece, or nephew)
Has their own Social Security Number
- Children with ITINs don't qualify, but may instead be eligible for the $500 Credit for Other Dependents
Lived with you for more than half the year
Didn't support themselves (didn't pay more than half their own expenses)
Is a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien
- Residents of Canada or Mexico don't qualify

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