@MoneyMike13 Sorry but you are misinterpreting the tax law. It does not matter that the child was under 17 for part of the year. The age of the child at the END of the tax year is what matters. If your child was 17 before the end of the tax year then you were not eligible for the child tax credit OR the 1st or 2nd stimulus payment. The rules changed for the 3rd stimulus and for the child tax credit for 2021. If you claimed any dependent for 2021 you could get the $1400 3rd stimulus amount and you can get the child tax credit for a child who is your dependent if the child was NOT 18 years old before 2021 ended.
The rules for the 1st and/or 2nd EIP payment for a dependent child claimed on your tax return followed the same rules as the child tax credit for 2020. The dependent had to be YOUNGER than 17 at the END of 2020 to be eligible for the payments of $500 and $600. If your child was older than 16 at the end of 2020 you are not eligible for the $1100.
From the IRS---criteria to get the recovery rebate credit for a qualifying child:
Qualifying child: You welcomed an eligible child in 2020 who was under the age of 17 at the end of 2020.
The IRS is not "cheating" you---the IRS is following the law as written and passed by Congress.
Rules for child tax credit on a 2021 return:
A3. For tax year 2021, a qualifying child is an individual who does not turn 18 before January 1, 2022, and who satisfies the following conditions:
- The individual is the taxpayer’s son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, a grandchild, niece, or nephew).
- The individual does not provide more than one-half of his or her own support during 2021.
- The individual lives with the taxpayer for more than one-half of tax year 2021. For exceptions to this requirement, see IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit and Credit for Other Dependents PDF.
- The individual is properly claimed as the taxpayer’s dependent. For more information about how to properly claim an individual as a dependent, see IRS Publication 501, Dependents, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information. PDF
- The individual does not file a joint return with the individual’s spouse for tax year 2021 or files it only to claim a refund of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid.
- The individual was a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien. For more information on this condition, see IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens. PDF
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