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@Féline ,  (a) which country are you from ? (b) were you on J  visa or what ? (c) When did you enter US and when did you leave ?  Trying to determine if you were  NRA for both 2024 and/or 2025.  This is because as NRA you would be filing a 1040-NR  ( not supported by TurboTax -- generally  SprinTax is suggested ) Please answer my Qs ---- I will circle back once I hear from you

To help you understand more clearly:   Have you entered income from working in 2025?  If not,  you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.     The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2200 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1700.   In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working.     Take the amount you earned from working.   Subtract $2500.   Multiply the rest by 15%.  That is the additional child tax credit per child that you can get—- up to the maximum of $1700 per child.   If the amount you earned from working was low, you will not get the full $1700 per child.    If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2025, you do not get the CTC.  But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/child-tax-credit/L2lNhfGDl_US_en_US?uid=m68dfq2u   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/additional-child-tax-credit/L6xFeMFEf_US_en_US?uid=lqnuygah https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents     And for the Earned Income Credit—-   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-credits-deductions/qualifications-earned-income-credit-eic-eitc/L7w4BFP32_US_en_US?uid=m62rmz09   https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant   https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p596.pdf   Look at your 2025 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received   PREVIEW 1040 https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/preview-turbotax-online-return-filing/L77WCkvnu_US_en_US?uid=m681fkhr   Child Tax Credit line 19 Credit for Other Dependents line 19 Earned Income Credit line 27 Additional Child Tax Credit line 28     AND….If you have children but had  little or no income, it raises the question of how you and the children were supported.  There may be another tax-paying adult who can claim you and/or the children as dependents.    

Many federal and state forms are not yet available.  Check here for form availability. The dates are subject to change.   Tax form availability tool   Be patient.    IF you e-file now, your return will go into “pending” until the IRS starts to accept/reject returns in late January. You cannot make any changes while the return is on the server. The IRS will start to accept/reject 2025 e-files on January 26.   And….a state return cannot be accepted until after the IRS accepts your federal return. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-first-day-of-2026-filing-season-online-tools-and  

So instead of hitting Visit All did you go down 1 row to the next box for Social Security?  I said do not use Visit All. Enter Social Security under Federal Taxes (or Personal in Home & Business) Wages and Income Then scroll down to Retirement Plans and Social Security Then the second line - Social Security (SSA-1099. RRB-1099) - click the Start or Revisit  button

@dac10012 ,   I don't know if I can help you anymore -- you appear to be looking for tax law answers that support your aim. Before I go,  (a) Please familiarize yourself with the references that I have provided; (b) Just because others may be following a path may not make it correct -- you are the only one whom has to defend your return/filing and you are signing your return as true (c)For US tax purposes --- MFJ requires both filers to be  US Persons ( citizen/GreenCard/Resident for Tax purposes ) which includes a NRA whom wishes/requests to be treated as a resident ;   for the year in which a status adjustment occurs, one can be a resident ( if eligible and request such ) for the whole year or be a dual status person -- filing 1040 ( resident  return  covering post adjustment ) and 1040-NR  ( for the rest of the year ) but is limited to itemized deduction unless a resident for the whole calendar year; for an NRA ( i.e. filing 1040-NR ) there is no MFS/MFJ -- it is just single ( but can be "married" denoted ); Diplomatic staff/ international org. employees are  immune from federal taxes ( if NRA) but not if a US Person; International Org. or  foreign embassy/ consulates  do not  generally issue W-2 or 1099s -- just a statement of earnings; Personal income (Section 6109 incomes ) of diplomatic / International org. employees  ( NRA or US persons ) is NOT immune from US taxes ( these are generally reported on 1042-S for NRA persons ) and generally should be recognized by filing a form 1040-NR. (c) Based on your posts ( here and in others ), I would very strongly suggest the use / services of a tax professional familiar with international taxation.   I hope this puts this matter to rest    pk

  You have to access your own account and/or  print it for yourself using exactly the same account and user ID that you used when you prepared the return.    https://myturbotax.intuit.com/   Start a 2025 return online and enter some personal information  so that the menu on the left opens up and lets you access your past year returns.   https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/prior-year-return/help/how-do-i-access-my-prior-year-return/01/27010     https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/save-2021-turbotax-online-return-pdf/L8dHfRkpT_US_en_US?uid=m5y4ch1y   Many people have multiple TT accounts and forget how to access them.  Log out of the account you are in now.     https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/many-intuit-accounts-turbotax/L9aVfKS1Z_US_en_US?uid=ll5g6zcx Account Recovery     Or did you use the desktop version of TurboTax?  If so, the files are on your own hard drive or any backup device you used like a flash drive.     https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/find-last-year-tax-data-file-tax-file-computer/L0XJvPaJr_US_en_US   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/data-systems/find-tax-data-file-mac/L4VNGm33S_US_en_US?uid=m6guhab0   You can get a free transcript from the IRS or for a fee of $30, an actual copy of your tax return. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf       SAVE YOUR TAX RETURNS ! EVERY year before mid-October you should save a copy of your tax return as a pdf and print a copy of it for your records.  That way you will not be searching online frantically when you need it for a lender, FAFSA forms, your next tax return, etc.    https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/save-2021-turbotax-online-return-pdf/L8dHfRkpT_US_en_US?uid=m6guj526   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/save-2021-turbotax-online-return-pdf/L8dHfRkpT_US_en_US?uid=m78eb8pc In order to transfer a past year return to the new return you need the tax file   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/save-turbotax-online-return-tax-data-file/L4xwOG3LF_US_en_US?uid=m6guk3xl   NOTE:  TurboTax and the IRS save returns for seven years.  Returns older than seven years are purged.    

Where do I find my AGI?   https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/agi/help/how-do-i-find-last-year-s-agi/01/25947   Your 2024 tax return shows your 2024  Adjusted Gross Income  (AGI)  If you filed a joint return then the AGI is the same for each of you.   Form 1040        line 11   If entering the amount from your 2024 tax return does not work, then try entering “0” instead.  If that does not work and you still cannot e-file, then print, sign, and mail your tax return.   You can get a free transcript of your past return from the IRS:   https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript Note: If you filed late or amended your return, your correct 2024 AGI may not be in the system.  https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1944348-how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online Note:  If you mail your federal return, you will also need to mail your state return.  You will not be able to e-file your state return.   https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/printing/help/how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online/00/26258 it is a good idea to use a mailing service that will track it like UPS or certified mail.  Then you will know the IRS received it.     If you used the wrong AGI, your e-file  be rejected.  When you get the rejection notice, correct it and re-file. https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/agi/help/where-do-i-correct-my-agi-in-turbotax-online/00/26311

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE IRS/STATE     TurboTax does not receive any information from the IRS or your state after your return was filed, so no one at TurboTax knows about a letter you received from the IRS or the state.   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-audit/turbotax-audit-support/L6AcMoNFD_US_en_US?uid=m5z7by9u     https://intuit.taxaudit.com/audit-defense/help/contact     https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/internal-revenue-service/got-cp2000-notice-irs/L7Da6em2t_US_en_US?uid=m4of6ngd

Thanks Volvo Girl and others....did hit the "visit" all and no luck on my desktop version. I want to respect everyone's time and hope Thursday AM the 22nd will update most functions. I am able to enter business income and expenses, so those are working. Be well.  

In case anyone else is as confused as I was by the obtuse language on that form, I'm going to answer my own question. I finally realized the CA FTB means this:   1) If one's last use of a property, regardless of when, was as a principal residence, then the sale of that property is not subject to withholding. 2) However, if one's last use was as a rental, vacation home, etc., or anything other than a principal residence, then one must satisfy the rule of having primarily lived in the home for at least 2 out of the 5 years prior to the sale in order to be exempt from withholding.   This would have been far clearer had they even reversed the order of Part III Lines 1 and 2.

Sorry--no.    The refundable additional child tax credit is not available if you did not earn at least $2500 from working.   You might be able to get a very small amount of earned income credit, but realistically----is there someone else who supported you that can claim you and the children as dependents?

Oh right, sorry about that, it is code "D" for Elective deferrals to a section 401(k) cash or deferred arrangement. Also includes deferrals under a SIMPLE retirement account that is part of a section 401(k) arrangement.