topic 2015 in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:45 GMT

look second year in a row ive had this issue with your website

Which tax break are you referring to?

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:46 GMT

Which tax break are you referring to?

How old is the child?

mesquitebean — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:48 GMT

How old is the child?

I just got married last year is it because I'm trying to...

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:50 GMT

I just got married last year is it because I'm trying to file separately should we jointly file our taxes?

Having a dependent

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:52 GMT

Having a dependent

In the vast majority of cases it's better to file married...

mesquitebean — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:54 GMT

In the vast majority of cases it's better to file married joint, but I'm not a tax person, so someone else will explain that part in this thread on why it's normally better, then you'll be able to better decide which approach to take. Was the child born in 2016 or 2015?

2015

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:54 GMT

2015

You have to file jointly your right thanks

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:56 GMT

You have to file jointly your right thanks

Keep watching the thread, and someone will hopefully expl...

mesquitebean — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:58 GMT

Keep watching the thread, and someone will hopefully explain both of those issues.

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I figure it out thanks it's cause I wasn't filing jointly...

familygohn13 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:38:59 GMT

I figure it out thanks it's cause I wasn't filing jointly cause I'm married now

You have been mentioning that you need to compare filing...

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 01:39:03 GMT

You have been mentioning that you need to compare filing separately to filing a joint return.

If you were married at the end of 2016 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will each receive the $4050 personal exemption, plus the married filing jointly standard deduction of $12,600 (add $1250 for each spouse over the age of 65). You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit.

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return. Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. If you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

Re: Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

claudiahanson21 — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 22:32:25 GMT

My child tax break isn't showing up for 2019. It did for 2018 and nothing changed for 2019. Can someone shed some light as to what could have happened?

Re: Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

mesquitebean — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 22:44:04 GMT

@claudiahanson21 wrote:

My child tax break isn't showing up for 2019. It did for 2018 and nothing changed for 2019. Can someone shed some light as to what could have happened?

"nothing changed for 2019"

Well, actually something did change--the child is a year older. Please provide more info including the child's age at the end of 2019, and someone familiar with dependent situations can further assist you here.

Re: Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

claudiahanson21 — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 22:50:16 GMT

My son was born in 2018. In 2019 he turned 1 year old. He’s just a baby.

Re: Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

KarenM90 — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 23:06:26 GMT

I suggest that you go back through the My Info Section of TurboTax as they related to your dependent(s) and answer the questions again for each dependent.

To do this: Choose "Edit" next to your dependent's name, and go back through the questions and follow the prompts to ensure nothing has been missed.

Please note that The Child Tax Credit is a nonrefundable credit. This means that if your credit exceeds your tax liability, your tax bill is reduced to zero and any remaining amount of credit could not be used.

I am including two links regarding the Child Tax Credit. Please take a look at these for more details and tips regarding this credit: What is the Child Tax Credit? Tips for the Child Tax Credit

Re: Why isn't my childs tax break showin up

mesquitebean — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 23:24:52 GMT

@ claudiahanson21 wrote:

My son was born in 2018. In 2019 he turned 1 year old. He’s just a baby.

Step through the screens in the dependent section again (under tab My Info). Read the dependent screens very carefully. A screen will ask you how many months the child lived with you in 2019. Select either "the whole year" or the number of months, whichever is your situation.

One screen that can be confusing is the screen that asks about support. The screen asks if the child provided more than 50% of his/her own support. The screen will ask it this way: "Did (child's name) pay for most of his living expenses?" If the child did not pay for most of his/her own expenses, the answer would be "no."