Deductions & credits

Not unless you have dependents that you claim on your tax return.  To qualify for and claim the Earned Income Credit you must:

• Have earned income; and
• Have been a U.S. citizen or resident alien for the entire tax year; and
• Have a valid Social Security number (not an ITIN) for yourself, your spouse (if filing jointly), and any qualifying children on your return; and
• Not have investment income exceeding $3,650; and
• Not be filing a Form 2555 or 2555-EZ; and
• File a return with the Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widower filing status, even if you're not required to file a return.

In addition, both your earned income and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) may not exceed:

• $15,820 if you're not claiming a qualifying child ($21,710 if filing jointly);
• $41,756 if you're claiming 1 qualifying child ($47,646 if filing jointly);
• $47,440 if you're claiming 2 qualifying children ($53,330 if filing jointly);
• $50,954 if you're claiming 3+ qualifying children ($56,844 if filing jointly).

One more thing — if you're not claiming a qualifying child:

• You (or your jointly filing spouse) must have been born on or after January 1, 1956; and
• You (or your jointly filing spouse) must have been born on or before December 31, 1995; and
• You (and your jointly filing spouse) cannot be claimed as a qualifying child or dependent on anyone else's return.

Phew! Got all that? Fortunately, TurboTax handles the behind-the-scenes calculations so you don't have to.

Do I Qualify for Earned Income Credit While on Unemployment?   The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) was signed into law on December 27, 2020 as a stimulus measure to provide relief to those affected by the pandemic. For tax year 2020, The CAA allows taxpayers to use either their 2020 or 2019 earned income in calculating the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) as well as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).