It sounds like you both were claiming different credits on your returns.
Unfortunately, it is hard to tell exactly which credit you each claimed last year, and which one was denied.
Here are the basics for each credit:
- Earned Income Credit
- Child must have a valid social security number
- Be your child, under the age of 19 or 24 if a full time student
- Lived with you for more than half of the year
- Not filed a joint return.
- To claim the credit, you must have earned income
- Meet the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limit
- Be a US citizen or resident alien
- Have a valid social security number
- Child Tax Credit:
- US citizen, US National, or US resident alien
- Didn't pay more than half of their expenses during the year
- Lived with you for more than half the year
- Have a social security number
- Son, daughter, stepchild, sibling
- Be under the age of 17 at the end of the year
- Child & Dependent Care Credit:
- You and your spouse need to have earned income
- Paid caregiving expenses so you could work
- Caregiver paid to care for a qualifying person
I have posted some links to help you determine specifically why the other party was denied the credit, or why you qualified for the credit.
Please make sure only one of you claims the child on their tax return. If both of you claim the same child, the IRS will disallow your credit.
Qualifying child for EIC
Full EIC list
Child Tax Credit requirements
Child & Dependent care requirements
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