The reason you do not get EIC for her is that she is not related to you. If you are not married to her father, she is not a step-daughter, and cannot be claimed as such. She does not fit the criteria to be a qualifying child for EIC. You could claim her a a "qualifying relative" dependent since she lived with you all year, but the only credit you get for a qualifying relative is the the $500 credit for other dependents. Not sure how her dad got EIC-unless you mean he filed his own return that he got EIC for. You could not get EIC for an unrelated adult dependent on your own return. And....if her father filed his own return, why did HE not claim her on his return?
You mention "her sister, her dad and my daughter got the EIC" It is not clear if you mean all of them were claimed on your own tax return or not, and if so, how you could have received EIC for them unless you entered something incorrectly. You cannot get EIC or the child tax credit for dependents who are not related to you. If you are not married you cannot file a joint return.
Only your own daughter can be claimed as a qualifying child for EIC, the child tax credit, childcare credit, or to file as Head of Household. The other dependents cannot be claimed for any of those credits.
Review the rules for claiming a dependent. Your own child is a qualifying child. Your BF and his children are considered to be "qualifying relatives IF BF had less than $4200 of income in 2019 and IF all of them lived with you the entire year.
WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?
You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2019 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
• They are related to you.
• They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They are under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children
• They live with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
Qualifying relative
• They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
• They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They lived with you the entire year.
• They made less than $4200 (not counting Social Security)
• You provided more than half of their financial support. More info
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them.
Related Information:
• Does a dependent have to live with me?
• What does "financially support another person" mean?
• Can I claim a newborn baby?
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
