No, you don't have to, but you probably want to. The adoption credit is a nonrefundable credit, which means that if your taxes are already zero, you will not receive additional credit for claiming it. However, if not used, the adoption credit carries forward for 5 years until it is used or lost after 5 years. Since the credit can be worth up to $13,810 per child (and the full amount is granted automatically if the adoption was for a special needs child), it will be worth your effort to claim the credit now, because it must be claimed in the year the adoption is finalized.
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