Can I claim Child Tax Credit with zero income in 2025?
I've been dealing with some financial hardships lately and currently have zero income. The other day while waiting on hold with the food stamp office, I heard a recording that mentioned I might still be eligible to claim the Child Tax Credit even without income, and that I should use some kind of "non-filer tool." I've been googling like crazy trying to find the IRS non-filer tool for this year but coming up empty-handed. Does anyone know if there's actually a non-filer tool available for 2025? Where would I even find it? And more importantly, am I actually eligible to claim the Child Tax Credit if I literally have no income at all? I have two kids (ages 4 and 7) living with me full-time if that matters. Really need this credit if I can get it.
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Emma Davis
Yes, you can claim the Child Tax Credit even with zero income! This is actually a common misconception. The Child Tax Credit is partially refundable through what's called the Additional Child Tax Credit, which means you can receive it even without owing taxes or having income. For 2024 taxes (filed in 2025), you'll need to file a tax return to claim it, even with zero income. The IRS non-filer tool was primarily used during COVID when expanded credits were available, but for regular tax filing, you'll just need to submit a regular tax return. You can file a return showing zero income and still claim the credit. The refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit (up to $1,600 per qualifying child for 2024) can be claimed even without income. Just make sure you provide all information about your qualifying dependents.
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CosmicCaptain
•This is confusing to me. How can someone get a tax credit if they don't pay any taxes because they have no income? Isn't a tax credit just reducing the taxes you owe? And does zero income mean absolutely no money from anywhere or just no W-2 job?
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Emma Davis
•The Child Tax Credit has a special feature called "refundability" which means part of it can be paid to you even if you don't owe any taxes. This is different from many other tax credits that only reduce tax liability. For 2024, up to $1,600 per qualifying child can be refundable, meaning you can receive this amount even with zero income. Zero income generally means no taxable income from any source - no wages, no self-employment, no unemployment benefits, etc. However, non-taxable benefits like SNAP (food stamps) don't count as income for tax purposes, so you can receive those and still have "zero income" for tax filing purposes.
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Malik Johnson
I was in a similar situation last year and found out about taxr.ai when I was super confused about my tax situation. Their AI helped me figure out exactly what forms I needed to file and confirmed I was eligible for the Child Tax Credit despite having almost no income. I just uploaded my ID and my kids' social security cards to https://taxr.ai and it walked me through everything step by step. It even explained the difference between the regular Child Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit (which is the refundable part that matters for low/no income families). Seriously made what seemed impossible actually pretty simple.
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Isabella Ferreira
•Does this taxr.ai thing actually file your taxes for you? Or does it just tell you what to do and then you have to go somewhere else to actually submit the forms?
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Ravi Sharma
•I'm curious about how secure this is. Uploading your ID and children's SSNs to some website sounds sketchy. How do you know your info is safe?
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Malik Johnson
•It doesn't file the taxes for you - it analyzes your situation and helps you understand what you're eligible for, then gives you the completed forms you need to file. It saved me from paying a tax preparer when I literally had no money. Their site uses bank-level encryption for document uploads and they don't store your personal documents after processing. I was nervous too but they explained their security protocols when I asked. They've been featured in some major finance publications too which made me feel better about trusting them.
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Ravi Sharma
I'm back to say that I actually tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment and it was legit helpful. I was worried it would be some scammy site but it actually walked me through everything about the Child Tax Credit and confirmed I was eligible even though I've been unemployed most of the year. It explained that I'm eligible for the refundable portion (the Additional Child Tax Credit) and showed me exactly what forms I needed. It even detected that I might qualify for the Earned Income Credit based on some part-time work I did early in the year that I had forgotten about! Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about tax credits with little/no income.
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Freya Thomsen
If you're trying to get through to the IRS to ask about the Child Tax Credit with no income, good luck! I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone. Then I found Claimyr and it changed everything. You just go to https://claimyr.com, put in your info, and they get the IRS to call YOU back, usually within an hour. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I used it to confirm my eligibility for the Child Tax Credit with minimal income and got clear answers directly from an IRS agent instead of random internet advice. Best part is you don't waste hours on hold - you just get a call when an agent is available.
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Omar Zaki
•Wait this sounds too good to be true. How does this even work? The IRS is notorious for not answering phones so how can this service magically get them to call you back?
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AstroAce
•Yeah right. There's no way this actually works. The IRS doesn't just call people back because some website tells them to. This has to be a scam to get your personal info.
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Freya Thomsen
•It works by using their system that continuously redials the IRS until it gets through, then it holds your place in line while notifying you when an agent is about to be available. It's actually pretty clever - it's just automating what you'd do manually if you had infinite time and patience. It's definitely not a scam. The IRS doesn't know you used a service - from their perspective, you just called and waited on hold like anyone else. Claimyr just handles the waiting part for you. I was skeptical too until I actually got the callback from a real IRS agent who answered all my questions about claiming the Child Tax Credit with minimal income.
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AstroAce
Ok I need to apologize because I actually tried Claimyr after posting that skeptical comment and it WORKED. I seriously can't believe it. I've been trying to get through to the IRS for MONTHS about my Child Tax Credit eligibility since I've been unemployed. I used the Claimyr service yesterday afternoon, and this morning I got a call back from an actual IRS agent who confirmed that yes, I can claim the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit even with very minimal income. They even helped me understand exactly what forms I need to file and how to document my qualifying children. This saved me so much stress and confusion!
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Chloe Martin
Just wanted to add my experience - I had zero income last year too and was able to file and get the Additional Child Tax Credit. I just used the free filing options through the IRS website. There's no special "non-filer tool" anymore like there was during the pandemic. You just file a regular tax return showing zero income. As long as your kids qualify (they live with you, are under 17, have SSNs, etc), you can get the refundable portion. For me it was about $1,500 per kid which was a huge help.
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Diego Rojas
•Did you have to provide any special documentation to prove you had zero income? Or did you just put zeros on all the income lines of the tax form?
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Chloe Martin
•I just put zeros on all the income lines of the tax form. There's no special documentation needed to prove zero income - you're simply reporting what you earned, which in this case is nothing. The important part is correctly filling out the information about your qualifying children, including their Social Security numbers, relationship to you, and confirming they lived with you for more than half the year. That's what determines your eligibility for the Child Tax Credit.
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Anastasia Sokolov
I would recommend using the IRS Free File program if your income is that low. Go directly to IRS.gov and look for Free File options. They have partnerships with tax software companies that will let you file completely free if your income is below certain thresholds, which clearly you would qualify for with zero income.
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Sean O'Donnell
•The Free File options are good but some of them are really confusing about the Child Tax Credit particularly when you have no income. TaxSlayer kept telling me I wasn't eligible even tho I knew I was.
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Nathan Dell
I was in almost the exact same situation last year - zero income and two kids. Yes, you can absolutely claim the Child Tax Credit! The key is understanding that part of it is "refundable" which means you get money back even if you don't owe any taxes. For 2024 taxes (filing in 2025), you can get up to $1,600 per qualifying child under 17 through the Additional Child Tax Credit, even with zero income. There's no special non-filer tool this year - you just file a regular tax return showing $0 income. I used the IRS Free File program on IRS.gov and it walked me through everything. Make sure you have your kids' Social Security numbers and can prove they lived with you more than half the year. The process was actually simpler than I expected, and I got about $3,200 total for my two kids. It was a huge help during a really tough time. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't get tax credits without income - that's one of the biggest misconceptions out there!
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Jessica Nguyen
•Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I've been so stressed thinking I wasn't eligible for anything because I don't have a job right now. It's really reassuring to know that someone in basically the same situation was able to get the credit successfully. Quick question - when you filed showing $0 income, did the IRS ever question it or ask for additional documentation? I'm worried they might think it's suspicious or something. Also, how long did it take to actually receive the refund after you filed?
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