Can I get any type of refund with no income and 4 kids? I live with my fiance whom works so that's how we get what we need, when he files it goes to child support .

[melodyrosec]

We are filing separately because we need some money to go towards bills but if he claims us his return will go to child support and we get nothing.

[DoninGA]

For tax year 2022, if you have no income then you are not eligible for any type of tax credit that depends on earned income, which includes the Child Tax Credit.

There is no need for you to file a 2022 tax return if you do not have any income. with or without dependents.

[xmasbaby0]

The short answer is that if you did not work in 2022, you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.

The rules for getting the child tax credit on a 2021 tax return and now on a 2022 return are very different.  For 2021 you could get $3600 for a child under 6 or $3000 for a child between 6 and 17 even if you had no income/did not work.   That is NOT the way it will work for your 2022 tax return.  The “old” rules are back.   The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1500.   In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working.  The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1500.  If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2022, you do not get the CTC.  But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-f...

And for the Earned Income Credit—-the rules are back to the “old” rules—

those under 25 and over 65 without children are not eligible as they were uniquely in 2021.   And you cannot use your income from any earlier tax year to get the EIC for a 2022 return.  EIC for 2022 will be based on the income you earned by working in 2022.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899157-what-are-the-qualifications-for-the-earned-income-credit-e...

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant

AND….If you have children but had no income, it raises the question of how you and the children were supported.  There may be another tax-paying adult who can claim you and/or the children as dependents.  

[xmasbaby0]

You have not mentioned if your BF is the bio-dad of your four children.  If so he should claim them--even if it means the refund goes to child support, since you cannot get a refund, and it would help to pay down his back support.   If he is not related to them, then the only way he can claim any of you is if you have all lived with him for the whole year.  Then he can get the $500 credit for other dependents for each one of you, which is not  a refundable credit, but it does reduce his tax liability.   If you lived together all year he can claim you too.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-cre...