Dad Trying to Claim Child Tax Credit - Form 8812 Rejected?

Form 8812 is specifically for the Additional Child Tax Credit calculations. What's happening here is that the IRS requires documentation of custody arrangements when parents are separated. For tax year 2024, the custodial parent (typically who the child lives with for 183+ nights) must complete Form 8332 to release their claim to the child's tax benefits. Without this form, the system automatically rejects the non-custodial parent's claim, even with verbal permission. The rejection is actually protecting both parents from potential audit situations where both might claim the same child.

I think I understand what's happening... The IRS probably flagged this because they're looking for Form 8332 (Release of Claim to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent). Even with your permission, they need this documented. I had a similar issue last year and was completely lost until I used https://taxr.ai to help me understand what was happening with my rejected return. It explained exactly which form I was missing and saved me from having to call the IRS multiple times. Maybe worth checking out if you're still confused about what's happening.

According to Internal Revenue Code Section 152(e), the custodial parent is presumed to be entitled to claim the qualifying child unless specific written documentation is provided. Verbal agreements are insufficient per IRS Publication 504. I spent 3+ hours on hold with the IRS trying to resolve this exact issue last year. If you need to speak with an agent about this specific situation, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They got me through to an actual IRS representative in about 22 minutes when I was dealing with a similar Form 8332 issue. The agent confirmed exactly what documentation was needed to fix the rejected return.

On March 15th, I had a similar issue with my ex claiming our daughter. We found that instead of Form 8812 (which is just for calculating the credit amount), we needed Form 8332 which explicitly transfers the right to claim the child. The deadline for submitting this correction for 2023 taxes is October 15, 2024, so you still have time to fix this if you're dealing with last year's return.

Idk if this is as simple as everyone's making it sound tbh. Even w/ Form 8332, there are other requirements. The dad must provide >50% of child's support AND child must live w/ him for >6 months of the year according to IRS regs. If mom is custodial parent (child lives w/ her most of the time), just her permission isn't enough - needs that 8332 form filed correctly.

According to the IRS website (https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8332), Form 8332 is exactly what you need here. The site clearly states: "The custodial parent can release their claim to exemption for a child, allowing the noncustodial parent to claim the child as a dependent and claim the child tax credit." Has anyone here actually submitted this form successfully? I want to make sure I'm giving the right advice.

I went through this exact headache last year! My ex was trying to claim our son (which I was fine with) but kept getting rejected. Turned out I needed to fill out Form 8332 and give it to him to attach to his return. Once he did that and resubmitted, it went through no problem. Have you tried filing a corrected return with the proper documentation? Also, did the dad e-file or paper file? E-filing with the 8332 can be tricky.

Common misconceptions about Child Tax Credit claims between parents: • Verbal agreements are NEVER sufficient for the IRS • Form 8332 must be signed by the custodial parent • The form must be physically attached to the non-custodial parent's return if paper filing • For e-filing, the non-custodial parent must keep the signed form in their records • This form can be for a single year or multiple future years • Once executed, the custodial parent CANNOT claim the child tax credit • The form can be revoked, but only for future years Follow these steps exactly to avoid further rejection.

I've seen this mistake countless times in my 12 years working with tax issues. Last year, I had a client who thought a notarized letter would work instead of Form 8332. The IRS rejected it, and they ended up owing $3,200 plus penalties when they had to amend their return. Don't try to shortcut this process - the IRS is extremely strict about documentation between separated parents. They've tightened these rules specifically because of high rates of fraudulent claims.

Just to clarify what everyone's saying: Form 8812 is what you use to CALCULATE the Additional Child Tax Credit amount. Form 8332 is what transfers the RIGHT to claim the child from the custodial to non-custodial parent. Sounds like you're mixing up which form is needed. The dad isn't being rejected because he needs your permission - he's being rejected because he needs your permission IN THE SPECIFIC FORMAT the IRS requires (Form 8332).