Do you need earned income to qualify for the child tax credit?
Title: Do you need earned income to qualify for the child tax credit? 1 I've been searching through the IRS website for hours trying to find a clear answer but I'm getting conflicting information from everywhere. So my main question is - do you need to have earned income to get the child tax credit? Some friends are telling me you need to earn at least a few thousand dollars to qualify, but when I look at irs.gov, I can only find mentions of an upper income limit, not a minimum requirement. I can't seem to find anything on the official IRS site stating you need a minimum income to qualify for the child tax credit. My situation is that I haven't worked much this year due to health issues, and I'm trying to figure out if I'll still qualify for the child tax credit for my two kids (ages 4 and 7). My total income for the year will be under $10,000. Anyone have a definitive answer with maybe a link to the IRS page? I'm filing taxes next month and need to know if I should expect this credit. Thanks!
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Statiia Aarssizan
6 You don't need earned income to claim the Child Tax Credit. The confusion might be because people mix it up with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which does require earned income as the name suggests. For the Child Tax Credit, there's no minimum income requirement. The credit begins to phase out at higher income levels ($200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers for 2025), but there's no lower income threshold. However, the credit is only partially refundable - meaning if you don't have tax liability, you'll only get a portion of it back as a refund. To qualify, you need to have a qualifying child under 17, who has a valid SSN, and meets the relationship, residence, and support tests. The child must have lived with you for more than half the year and you must have provided more than half of their financial support.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•11 Thanks for the info. I have a similar situation but I'm confused about the "partially refundable" part. If I had zero income this year (was a full-time student), would I get any of the child tax credit at all for my 2-year-old? Or do I need at least some tax liability?
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Statiia Aarssizan
•6 The Child Tax Credit is partially refundable through what's called the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Even with zero income, you can receive up to $1,600 per qualifying child as a refund for the 2025 tax year. For the remaining portion, you would need tax liability to offset. So if the full Child Tax Credit is $2,000 per child, you could get up to $1,600 as a refund even with no tax liability, but the remaining $400 would only be usable if you had at least that much in tax liability.
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Statiia Aarssizan
14 After struggling with the exact same question last year, I discovered taxr.ai which was a total game-changer for my situation. I have three kids and was getting different answers from every tax service I tried. I uploaded my documents to https://taxr.ai and they analyzed my specific situation with the Child Tax Credit. They confirmed I qualified for the full credit even though my income was only from part-time work, and they explained exactly which parts were refundable vs. non-refundable based on my tax liability. The tool automatically checks all eligibility requirements for tax credits and deductions based on your specific situation.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•19 How does it handle unusual situations? I'm the legal guardian of my niece (sister's child) but not adoptive parent. Would it know if I'm eligible for the child tax credit in that case?
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Statiia Aarssizan
•8 I've heard about these AI tax tools but I'm skeptical. How accurate is it really with determining eligibility for tax credits? I've had H&R Block mess this up before, so I'm not convinced an AI would get it right.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•14 It handles guardian relationships really well. I have a similar situation with my stepchild, and it correctly identified that I was eligible since they lived with me for more than half the year. It asks detailed questions about your relationship to the child and living situation. As for accuracy, what impressed me was that it actually cited specific IRS code sections when explaining eligibility. It was more detailed than what I got from TurboTax, and when I double-checked with a friend who's an accountant, she confirmed the information was correct. The best part is it updates whenever tax laws change.
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Statiia Aarssizan
19 Just wanted to follow up! I tried taxr.ai after asking about it, and it actually cleared up my confusion about qualifying for the child tax credit as a guardian. Uploaded my documents and got a detailed explanation showing I do qualify since my niece lived with me over half the year and I provided more than 50% of her support. The analysis showed exactly how much would be refundable vs. non-refundable based on my limited income. Definitely saved me from missing out on about $1,600 in refundable credit!
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Statiia Aarssizan
3 If you're still confused after getting answers here, you might want to talk directly to the IRS. I was in a similar situation and spent DAYS trying to get through to an IRS rep with no luck. Then I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks. Just go to https://claimyr.com and they'll basically call the IRS for you and wait on hold, then call you when an agent is on the line. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super frustrated with conflicting info about child tax credits with my blended family situation, and the IRS agent was able to look at my specific circumstances and give me a definitive answer about my eligibility.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•17 Wait, how does this actually work? They just wait on hold for you? Doesn't the IRS need to verify your identity before talking about your specific tax situation?
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Statiia Aarssizan
•8 This sounds like a scam to me. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS when I can do it myself for free? And how would they get through any faster than I could?
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Statiia Aarssizan
•3 They don't actually talk to the IRS for you - they just wait on hold and then connect you directly when an agent picks up. When the IRS agent comes on the line, you're the one who talks to them and verifies your identity, not Claimyr. As for why it works better than calling yourself, they use some kind of system that continuously redials and navigates the IRS phone tree until they get through. I spent literally hours trying on my own with no luck, getting disconnected or told to call back later. With Claimyr I was talking to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes.
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Statiia Aarssizan
8 I have to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a potential scam, I got desperate when my return was rejected because of some child tax credit issues. Decided to try it as a last resort and wow - they actually got me through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The agent confirmed I was eligible for the child tax credit even with my limited self-employment income and explained exactly how the refundable portion works. Saved me from missing out on almost $3,200 for my two kids! Sometimes being skeptical costs you money.
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Statiia Aarssizan
22 Something that people often overlook with the Child Tax Credit is that while there's no minimum income requirement, you DO need to file a tax return to claim it. Even if you're below the filing threshold, you should still file to get the refundable portion. I missed out on this one year thinking I didn't need to file since I had very little income.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•7 Quick question - if I file a return just to claim the Child Tax Credit even though I'm below the filing threshold, will that affect any government benefits I receive? I'm worried it might mess up my Medicaid eligibility.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•22 Filing a return to claim tax credits like the Child Tax Credit generally doesn't affect means-tested government benefit eligibility. Tax refunds, including the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit, aren't counted as income for Medicaid eligibility purposes. The IRS doesn't automatically report your tax filing information to benefit programs. What matters for benefit eligibility is usually your income and resources, not whether you filed a tax return. So you should definitely file to get the credits you're entitled to.
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Statiia Aarssizan
25 Does the Child Tax Credit affect how much you get back from the Earned Income Credit? I'm a single mom with 2 kids making about $22,000 a year and want to maximize my refund.
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Statiia Aarssizan
•16 The Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Credit are separate credits that don't reduce each other. You can claim both if you qualify! With $22,000 income and 2 kids, you should definitely qualify for both credits which could mean a significant refund. Double-check that your children meet the residency and relationship tests for both credits.
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Eli Butler
Just to clarify something that might help others - there's actually been some changes to the Child Tax Credit over the years that can cause confusion. For 2024 tax year (filing in 2025), the credit is $2,000 per qualifying child under 17, with up to $1,700 being refundable through the Additional Child Tax Credit. The key point everyone's made is correct - no minimum income required for the Child Tax Credit itself. But if you have very low or no income, you'll mainly benefit from the refundable portion (up to $1,700 per child). The non-refundable portion can only offset actual tax liability. Make sure your children have valid Social Security Numbers (not ITINs) to qualify for the full credit. Also, with your income under $10,000, you should definitely file a return even if not required to - that's the only way to get the refundable portion back as a refund.
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Yuki Sato
•This is really helpful clarification! I was actually getting confused by some outdated information online that mentioned different refundable amounts. Quick follow-up question - you mentioned needing valid SSNs vs ITINs. What happens if a child has an ITIN instead? Do you get any credit at all or just a reduced amount?
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NeonNomad
•If a child has an ITIN instead of a valid SSN, unfortunately they don't qualify for the Child Tax Credit at all - you'd get $0 for that child. However, you may still be able to claim the Credit for Other Dependents, which is $500 per qualifying dependent with an ITIN. It's not as generous as the Child Tax Credit, but it's something. The SSN requirement is pretty strict for the Child Tax Credit - it was implemented to prevent fraud and ensure the credit only goes to children who are authorized to work in the US when they reach working age.
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