Can I claim the Child Tax Credit for 2022 if my baby was born in November?

I've been searching all over the IRS website but can't find a clear answer to my situation. My little one was born in November 2022, and I'm getting ready to file my taxes for both 2022 and 2023 (yeah, I'm behind 😩). Here's my issue - I had zero income in 2022, but for 2023 I made around $3,400. I'm wondering if I can still qualify for the Child Tax Credit for 2022 even though I didn't have any income that year? Does anyone know if there's a minimum income requirement to claim the CTC when you have a newborn? Really appreciate any insight on this! Been driving myself crazy trying to figure it out. Thanks in advance!!

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18 comments

Yara Haddad

•8M

The Child Tax Credit rules can be confusing! For 2022, the CTC was worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child under 17, but it was only partially refundable up to $1,500 (called the Additional Child Tax Credit or ACTC). The key thing in your situation is that you need earned income to qualify for the refundable portion. Since you had no income in 2022, you wouldn't qualify for the refundable part of the credit. The non-refundable portion could only offset tax liability, which you wouldn't have without income. For 2023, since you earned over $2,500, you might qualify for at least some of the refundable portion of the CTC depending on your total tax situation. Each $1 you earn above $2,500 makes 15 cents of the credit refundable, up to the maximum.

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Yara Haddad

•8M

Yes, that's basically correct for the 2022 tax year. The Child Tax Credit has two parts - a non-refundable part (which only helps if you owe taxes) and a refundable part (which can give you money back even if you don't owe taxes). Without any earned income, you generally can't get the refundable portion. It's designed as a work incentive, which is why there's the earned income requirement for the refundable portion. Many stay-at-home parents might still benefit if they file jointly with a working spouse, as the credit would be based on their combined return. For people temporarily between jobs, it often depends on their total annual income, not month-by-month earnings.

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Paolo Conti

•8M

I was in a similar situation last year and found taxr.ai really helpful for sorting out my child tax credit questions. My second baby was born in October 2022, and I was on unpaid maternity leave for those last months of the year with very little income. I kept getting conflicting advice about whether I qualified for the CTC, so I uploaded my documents to https://taxr.ai and they analyzed everything and showed me exactly what I qualified for based on my specific situation. Saved me from leaving money on the table! They even explained how having a baby born in the last part of the year still counts as having a qualifying child for the full year.

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Paolo Conti

•8M

It's actually different from regular tax software. You upload your tax documents and it analyzes everything using AI to find credits and deductions you qualify for. It doesn't file your taxes but gives you a detailed report of what you should claim. I did verify with the IRS guidelines afterward, and everything matched up. What I liked was how it explained things in plain English instead of tax jargon. For split household situations, it asks specific questions about custody arrangements and support to determine who can claim the children. It saved me from making a mistake that would have cost me about $1,200 in credits.

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GalaxyGazer

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it despite my initial skepticism. I was actually really surprised by how detailed their analysis was! I've been filing my own taxes for years and they found two credits I qualified for but had missed completely, including how to properly claim my child who turned 17 last year. The report explained exactly why I qualified and even showed the specific sections of the tax code. Ended up getting an extra $900 on my refund after redoing my taxes with their recommendations. Definitely worth checking out if you're unsure about tax credits for dependents.

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Oliver Wagner

•8M

For anyone struggling to get clear answers from the IRS website, I highly recommend using Claimyr to actually speak with an IRS agent. I spent WEEKS trying to get through on my own about a similar child tax credit issue (twins born in December 2022). I kept getting disconnected or facing hours-long wait times. Then I found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - they basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is ready. Got connected with a real IRS person in about 45 minutes instead of the 3+ hours I was experiencing before. The agent was able to confirm exactly what credits I qualified for with my December babies even though I only worked part-time that year. Totally worth it for getting an official answer directly from the source!

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Oliver Wagner

•8M

They don't actually get you through faster - they use an automated system that waits on hold for you. When they reach a human IRS agent, they call you and connect you immediately. So you're still "waiting" the same amount of time, but you don't have to physically sit with a phone to your ear for hours. They aren't skipping any lines or doing anything magical - they're just handling the hold time for you. I was skeptical too until I tried it. You just enter your phone number, they call you when they get through to an agent, and then you're connected. Much better than wasting an entire day being stuck on hold.

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Javier Mendoza

•8M

Well I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I figured I'd try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS about my amended return with child tax credit issues for literally MONTHS. I'm honestly shocked it actually worked. Got a call back in about 2 hours, which is way less time than I spent on previous attempts. The IRS agent I spoke with was able to look up my specific situation and confirm I could claim the full credit for my kid even though she was born in August 2022 and I only worked part-time. Saved me from filing an incorrect amended return. I guess sometimes these services actually deliver what they promise. Never been so happy to be wrong!

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Emma Thompson

•8M

Something important that nobody mentioned yet - if you're filing for 2022 this late, make sure you're using the correct forms and rules for that tax year! The child tax credit changed between 2021, 2022, and 2023. For 2022 specifically, the maximum credit was $2,000 per qualifying child with up to $1,500 potentially refundable. The expanded CTC from 2021 (which was fully refundable) expired and wasn't available for 2022. Also, don't forget that even with zero income, you still need to file a return to claim tax credits in most cases. The IRS won't automatically send you anything if you don't file!

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Emma Thompson

•8M

There's generally no penalty for filing late if you're owed a refund! The IRS is actually happy to hold onto your money longer. However, there is a time limit - you must file your return within 3 years of the original due date to claim any refund. For 2022 taxes, that means you have until April 2026 to file and still get any refund you're entitled to. Just be sure to clearly mark which tax year you're filing for on your forms, and I'd recommend filing the 2022 and 2023 returns separately rather than at the same time to avoid any confusion. And definitely use tax software or forms specific to the 2022 tax year rather than current forms.

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