Child turned 17 in 2020. received 1st dependent stimulus, but not 2nd should have as based on 2019 taxes. not given recovery rebate credit of $600 on this return. why?

[esoteric1016]

Turbo tax would not let me manually input , nor would it populate the amount. I filled anyway because we’re  desperate for money. Will I need to amend return?

[xmasbaby0]

You will not receive a stimulus check for a child who turned 17 in 2020.   The stimulus checks are based on the same criteria as the child tax credit, which you lose in the year the child turned 17.   You were lucky to get the first check and do not have to pay it back, but they will not go back and base a 2nd check on 2019.  The stimulus check was an advance credit based on your 2020 tax return, and on the age of your dependent child at the end of 2020.

[esoteric1016]

Well it wasn’t luck- my child was 15 during the year 2019 and the stimulus payments were based on the 2019 tax returns. It was the law not luck. And she was still 16 until the end of this past year. I’m aware I don’t need to pay anything back and  I read on NPR and other reputable news sites that the child credit was based on 2019 for the second stimulus payment also. I was looking to see if there was a way to and the return to include the missing amount of the $500 dependent credit for the second economic impact on line 30 of the 2020 return. 

[xmasbaby0]

If your child was still under the age of 17 at the end of 2020 then you can use the recovery rebate credit to get the second stimulus amount for the child.  Again---the stimulus money was an advance credit that is ultimately based on your 2020 income and the 2020 eligibility requirements.   They do not go backwards now and use 2019 information.   They use 2020 information.

The stimulus check is an advance on a credit you can receive on your 2020 tax return.  If something went wrong or you did not get the stimulus check in 2020, you can get it when you file your 2020 return in early 2021

The Recovery Rebate Credit will be found in the FEDERAL REVIEW section. ( you should see "Let's make sure you got the right stimulus amount”)  If you are eligible it will end up on line 30 of your 2020 Form 1040.

Make sure that you enter ALL of the stimulus money received for the 1st and 2nd stimulus for yourself, your spouse and your children.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payment-information-center-topic-j-reconciling-on-your-...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

[VolvoGirl]

What's her birthday?  Exactly when did she turn 17?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

@VolvoGirl    @esoteric1016 

This post is confusing because the original post says the child turned 17 in 2020; now the user says the child was 16 in 2020.....but we do not know if there was a 17th birthday in 2020.

@esoteric1016 If your child turned 17 even on December 31, 2020 you cannot get the 2nd stimulus for her.

[esoteric1016]

Thank you. I understood it that the second stimulus was based on the 2019 returns in the same manner the first stimulus was- in that if you qualified for the child credit the first time, you did so the second time. My youngest turned 17 at the end of 2020. This pandemic has been a doozy- everyone lost employment and my oldest kids moved back home and my dad had a stroke and needs constant assistance and here in PDX we’re still not even close to being back to normal. I knowI have much to be thankful for and try to keep things in perspective.  We thought  having a years worth of savings was an adequate safety net, but it barely lasted 6 months- I’m rethinking my fondness for capitalism every day. 

[VolvoGirl]

Sorry it is really based on your 2020 return and she was not under 17 on Dec 31, 2020.  You missed out on it.