I've been following this thread and wanted to share some additional clarity since there seems to be some confusion about the numbers. For 2024 taxes (filed in 2025), you're absolutely correct that you should receive $2,000 per qualifying child. With your $58K AGI and HOH status, you're well below the phase-out thresholds, so you should get the full credit for both kids. The key thing that trips people up is that the Child Tax Credit can appear in multiple places on your return depending on your tax liability. If your actual tax owed is less than $4,000, you won't see the full $4,000 in one spot. Instead, it gets split: - The non-refundable portion (up to your tax liability) reduces what you owe - The refundable portion (Additional Child Tax Credit, up to $1,600 per child) can be part of your refund So if you only owed $2,000 in taxes, you'd see $2,000 reducing your tax bill and up to $2,000 ($1,600 max per child) as refundable credit. The total benefit is still $4,000, just distributed differently. Check Schedule 8812 - that's where all the Child Tax Credit calculations are detailed and you can see exactly how your credit was applied.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! With HOH status and two kids, you should definitely be getting the full $2,000 per child ($4,000 total) at your income level. The reason it looks "off" is probably because the credit gets split between different parts of your return. I found mine scattered across: - Line 19 on Form 1040 (non-refundable portion that reduced my tax bill) - Line 28 on Form 1040 (refundable portion as part of my refund) - All the details on Schedule 8812 What helped me was adding up both portions to see the total benefit. If you had low tax liability (which is common at $58K income), most of your $4,000 credit probably became refundable rather than just reducing taxes owed. Double-check Schedule 8812 - it should show your total Child Tax Credit calculation and how it was divided. As long as both kids are under 17 with valid SSNs and lived with you more than half the year, you should be getting the full amount, just not necessarily in one obvious line item.

have you considered talking to a tax professional? they might be able to find other credits or deductions you qualify for

There are some free tax help programs you might want to look into! The IRS has VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites that provide free tax preparation for people earning under $64,000. They can review your return and make sure you're getting all the credits you qualify for. You can find locations near you on the IRS website. Also, some community centers and libraries offer free tax prep during tax season. Worth checking out since you mentioned you can't afford a paid preparer right now.

Be very careful with this situation. My cousin had a similar issue last year where his refund showed as sent but never arrived. He waited too long to start the trace (over 90 days) and ran into major headaches. The IRS claimed it was delivered and put the burden of proof on him. Compared to my experience where I filed the trace at exactly 6 weeks, his took 5 months to resolve and required multiple calls. Don't delay - if your bank confirms nothing was received and it's been over 5 weeks for direct deposit, call immediately to start the trace.

I went through this same frustrating situation just two months ago! Like everyone else has explained, you don't need to find a trace number first - that's what gets created when you file Form 3911. The confusing part is that the IRS website makes it sound like you should already have one. Here's what worked for me: I called the main IRS line (800-829-1040) early in the morning around 7am when they opened. Had all my info ready - SSN, filing date (February 15th), exact refund amount ($3,247), and filing status. The agent filed Form 3911 right there on the call and gave me trace number TR-20240315-4829 to reference for follow-ups. Turned out my direct deposit was rejected because my bank account had been closed (forgot I switched banks!). Got a paper check 6 weeks later. The key is calling as soon as you hit that 5-week mark for direct deposit - don't wait like I almost did. Good luck!

Something nobody mentioned - if you're close to the threshold, making a retirement contribution might NOT help because the $2,500 is based on EARNED income, not adjusted gross income. Contributing to an IRA reduces your AGI but not your earned income. This tripped me up last year - I contributed to an IRA thinking it would help my tax situation but it didn't change my eligibility for the refundable child tax credit at all.

Based on all the great advice here, it sounds like you have a clear path forward! With your $2,100 in wages plus the $350-400 from babysitting, you'd be right at or over the $2,500 threshold for the refundable Child Tax Credit. Don't let your ex claim your daughter this year - stick to your custody agreement rotation! Once you report that babysitting income as self-employment on Schedule C, you should qualify for the full benefits of claiming her. Just make sure to keep records of the babysitting payments (even informal ones like text messages or payment apps) in case the IRS asks. And remember you might owe a small amount of self-employment tax on that babysitting income, but the Child Tax Credit will likely more than make up for it. The fact that you got the credit in 2023 with no income was probably due to different rules that were in effect then. The current $2,500 earned income threshold is what applies now, but you're going to meet it once you include all your income!

This has been such an incredibly helpful discussion! As someone who's been sitting on a pile of vintage video games and consoles from the 80s and 90s, I've been putting off dealing with the tax implications of selling them. Reading through everyone's experiences has given me the confidence to finally move forward. A few additional considerations I wanted to share based on my own research: 1. **Documentation timing**: Start documenting your research BEFORE you sell items, not after. I made the mistake of selling a few games first and then scrambling to justify the cost basis later. Much easier to do the research upfront. 2. **Bundled items**: For those dealing with items that were originally sold as sets (like board games with multiple pieces, or toy lines), try to research the original set price rather than piecing together individual component values. 3. **Regional price variations**: Toy and game prices varied significantly by region back in the day. If you can find regional advertisements or catalogs from your specific area, that might be more accurate than national averages. I'm planning to use a combination of the archived catalog approach mentioned here and possibly one of the tax services people have recommended for the more valuable items in my collection. The peace of mind seems worth it for items that might generate significant gains. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should be bookmarked by anyone dealing with collectible sales!

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm dealing with a similar situation but with my collection of vintage action figures and die-cast cars from the late 70s and early 80s. Reading everyone's approaches has really helped me understand the process. One aspect I haven't seen discussed much is handling items where you genuinely can't determine ANY reasonable cost basis - like toys that were hand-me-downs from older siblings or cousins. I have quite a few Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars that came to me this way, with no idea of their original purchase date or price. Also, for anyone else overwhelmed by the research process, I found that focusing on the highest-value items first makes the most sense. I'm spending detailed time researching cost basis for items selling over $50, but for the $5-15 items, I'm using broader category estimates (like "average small action figure price in 1982") to save time while still being reasonable. The library catalog idea mentioned earlier is brilliant - I'm definitely going to check what my local library system has archived. And the point about documenting methodology before selling is so important. I started a simple Word doc explaining my research approach and sources, which I figure will be helpful if questions ever come up. Has anyone dealt with items that were purchased at discount stores like Woolworth's or Kmart? I'm wondering if their pricing was typically different enough from regular toy store prices to matter for cost basis calculations.