Deductions & credits

TurboTax will automatically calculate the Earned Income Credit to your return and guide your through the correct screens, if you qualify for the credit. There may have been a reason you did not qualify for the Earned Income Credit or something entered into TurboTax which prevented those screens from populating. Please review the requirements below (especially the bolded section about qualifying children). Based on your income level, your children must be considered qualifying children in order to be eligible for the credit. 

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).

To count as a qualifying child for EIC, your child must have a valid Social Security number (not an ITIN).

She or he must also:

• Be your child (including legally adopted), stepchild, eligible foster child, sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild or niece); and
• Be permanently and totally disabled or under the age of 19 as of December 31, 2020 (under 24 if a full-time student) and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly); and
• Have lived with you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) for more than half the year in the United States (unless you were in the military); and
• Not file jointly with their spouse unless they weren't required to file but did so anyway to claim a tax refund.

If you qualified for the Earned Income Credit, based on the guidelines above, then you can follow the instructions on amending your 2020 return on the page How do I amend my 2020 return?.

​​​​​​​Once you elect to amend your return, you can search for the Earned Income Credit Section by following the steps below:

1. Open your return.
2. Search for EIC with the magnifying glass tool at the top of the page.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions. 

​​​​​​​If you amend your return to include the Earned Income Credit, there is no reason to send back IRS Form 15111. Form 15111 is a worksheet to help you determine whether you qualify for the EIC based on the dependents listed on your return. If you qualify, all the necessary information will be in your amended return. 

@Shane077

@catriv72