topic I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information? in Deductions & credits

I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

jhomeyer — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 04:27:23 GMT

Simple standard deduction return for married filing joint retirees.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

DoninGA — Sat, 22 Jan 2022 16:27:37 GMT

Enter a 0 when asked for an amount on Form 8812 and continue. Do not run smart check again after completing entries on this form.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

jhomeyer — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 12:17:58 GMT

I followed your advice but this is clearly a bug that Intuit needs to fix. I have not submitted my taxes yet hoping for an update first.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

Vanessa A — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 13:38:52 GMT

You can delete the form, then clear your cache and cookies.

To Delete a form click the following:

Tax Tools
Tools
Delete a Form
Delete next to form 8812. If there are worksheets for dependents in your forms, you would need to delete then before deleting 8812.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

AyeBea422 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:37:18 GMT

Im getting the same problem. This form is being generated during the error check. I verified it does not exist prior to running the check. Clicking the button to start the error check, then generates it in both federal (and state if you have a module added). You can delete the form, rerun the check, and the form appears again . There are no depending checks to generate the form (I checked the forms directly). This IS A BUG. Ignoring the error is not the right answer. Best practice is to report the bug and Intuit fix the trigger.

***Additional: TurboTax entered a "0" dependents on my Arkansas state return line 7B.

My solution: I removed the 0 (and entered nothing). The requirement for the name, which then triggered the error, resolved itself. Now I do NOT get any" ERRORS!" Turbotax still needs to check the removal of the "0" or to amend the logic to seeing a number 1=< instead of any number (that would include zero). Faulty Intuit logic either for the field formatting or numeric value.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

MrLennyB55 — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 01:03:55 GMT

I tried removing the 8812 form using the TAX TOOLS methods, but the only tab that I have is the TOOLS tab and there are only the following drop down selections under that:

My Tax Data

Final Review

Topic List

Attachments (Greyed out)

Calculator

Tax Summary

Tax History

Order History.

I looked into all the forms included on my return to manually delete the 8812 and it's worksheets, and none of them are in the list.

MrLennyB55

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

DoninGA — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 01:50:10 GMT

@MrLennyB55 The answer provided was for the TurboTax online editions. You are using the desktop editions. Click on Forms. When in Forms mode access the form or schedule you want to delete on the left side of the screen. Open the form or schedule by clicking on it. Once it is open you delete it using the delete button at the bottom of the page.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

MrLennyB55 — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:12:51 GMT

Thank you for your response. I ended up putting a zero in the 2 fields that Turbo Tax wanted me to fill in on the 8812 form and then ran the Smart Check again and I now have no errors.

Before doing that, I tried looking for the 8812 form in my list of forms for my return and it was not listed.

Anyway the problem seems to be solved.

Thank you

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

Puddleduck63 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 17:12:11 GMT

i have this same issue... I'm using a MAC download on a Mac. I am able to delete the form, however, when I review the "check" process...the question to enter an amount for 8812 pops back up. i assume this has something to do with the clearing of "cache and cookies". How do I clear cache and cookies on a Mac, so i can try that?

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

RaifH — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 17:22:07 GMT

You can clear cache and cookies on a Mac using these steps:

From the home screen, Select Settings > Safari.
At the bottom of Safari's settings screen, Select Clear cookies and data or Clear Cookies and Clear Cache.
Confirm when prompted.

However, this should not be necessary. The error is generated because, in 2021, everyone is being asked to confirm that they did not receive any Advanced Child Tax Credit payments even if they are not claiming any children on their return. To confirm you did not receive any advance payments:

In the Personal section of your return, go to Deductions & Credits
Scroll down to You and Your Family and click Revisit/Start next to Child and Other Dependent Tax Credit
Click Continue
Answer Let's start with where you spent the most time in 2021.
Answer No to Did you receive any advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021?

@Puddleduck63

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

Puddleduck63 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 19:25:53 GMT

Hey all... if you're like me and you skipped the entire section on child-related deductions and credits because you don't claim any children on your return, then this solution I received from @RaifH is the one for you. It works!!

Thank you @RaifH !!!

"The error is generated because, in 2021, everyone is being asked to confirm that they did not receive any Advanced Child Tax Credit payments even if they are not claiming any children on their return. To confirm you did not receive any advance payments:

In the Personal section of your return, go to Deductions & Credits
Scroll down to You and Your Family and click Revisit/Start next to Child and Other Dependent Tax Credit
Click Continue
Answer Let's start with where you spent the most time in 2021.
Answer No to Did you receive any advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021?"

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

george ogden — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 17:54:24 GMT

I put a zero in the spaces requested.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

AmyC — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 22:03:56 GMT

Please review your answers, there should not be zeroes and compare to the information and example below.

As @RaifH states elsewhere: In 2021, everyone is being asked to confirm that they did not receive any Advanced Child Tax Credit payments even if they are not claiming any children on their return. To confirm you did not receive any advance payments, follow these steps:

In the Personal section of your return,
go to Deductions & Credits
Scroll down to You and Your Family
click Revisit/Start next to Child and Other Dependent Tax Credit
Click Continue
Answer Let's start with where you spent the most time in 2021.
Answer No to Did you receive any advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021?"

See Example here from @Critter-3

@george ogden

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

MColezy — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:04:06 GMT

Going back through the Q&A for that section works to clear the error, but that section should not be required if there are no dependents selected as part of the profile set up?

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

JulieS — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:27:04 GMT

As has been pointed out a couple of times in this thread, everyone is being asked if they received Advanced Child Tax credit this year, even if the current return does not have any dependents on it.

This is an IRS requirement, not something TurboTax made up.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

MassMike — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 19:01:22 GMT

Yup - still a problem. Either putting in zeros or running the step-by-step questions for that section of the return seems to resolve it. Always nice having a few sneaky little glitches to add some challenge at tax time. ;-(

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I...

JamesG1 — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:51:08 GMT

Virtually every taxpayer will answer the question about receiving the Advance Child Tax Credit payments.

Some taxpayers who are not reporting children as dependents received the Advance Child Tax Credit payments in 2021.

Answer the questions and report $0 advance payments if correct.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

MCOrnelas — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 22:32:27 GMT

Worked! Thanks

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

bilgreg — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:06:14 GMT

I have the same problem. No dependents and error message wants me to fill in the Form 8812. I tried to delete the form but the error keeps coming back. Does Intuit monitor these chats? They need to fix this bug. Thanks.

Re: I get an error that i need to enter an amount on form 8812 but i have no dependents. How do I have it stop asking for form 8812 information?

DoninGA — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 21:15:52 GMT

@bilgreg wrote:

I have the same problem. No dependents and error message wants me to fill in the Form 8812. I tried to delete the form but the error keeps coming back. Does Intuit monitor these chats? They need to fix this bug. Thanks.

Everyone is being asked this question since TurboTax does not know if the user was one who received these advances from the IRS in 2021.

Enter a 0 (zero) when asked to enter a number on the Schedule 8812. This will correct the issue and remove the Schedule 8812 from your tax return so that you can file the return.

Do NOT delete the Schedule 8812. It will not be sent or included with the 2021 tax return.