topic Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ? in Deductions & credits

Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

lexi-colavito — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 06:22:15 GMT

I did not make any money other then the child tax credit so something is wrong here

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

JillS56 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 04:58:52 GMT

The only reason you would owe money back for the advanced child tax credit would be if you were paid more than you were entitled to.

One scenario that would cause you to pay back advanced child tax credit would be that you share claiming your children with someone where you claim one year and they claim the next year. If this is the case, this is why you owe back the advanced child tax credit. If you claimed the children on your 2020 tax return, then you received the advanced child tax credit. If you do not claim the children on your 2021 taxes, then you were not entitled to the advanced child tax credit since this credit is actual for the 2021 tax return.

The only other scenario I can think of would be if you received an advanced child tax credit for a child that you should not have because of age.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

lexi-colavito — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 05:10:21 GMT

We’ll none of those scenarios apply to me. I have not received any other money but the child tax credit. I am a single mother of a 1 year old. I don’t understand? My friend got a refund on hers. It’s okay I’m gonna call and figure this out.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

xmasbaby0 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 06:18:17 GMT

@lexi-colavito Where on your tax return is it saying you have to pay it back? If you look at line 28 of your Form 1040 is there an amount there? If there is an amount on line 28 that is the "second half" of your child tax credit that you will receive.

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Click on Tax Tools on the left side of the screen. Click on Tools. Click on View Tax Summary. Click on Preview my 1040 on the left side of the screen.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 10:18:11 GMT

After i filed i realized i only used my dependents for eic i think i might have put yes when it ask if the other parent was gonna claim that dependent and i got the advance in 2021 will i have to amend to claim the ctc and get the other half? Thanks

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 10:20:25 GMT

Will irs add ctc for me if i forgot to? lol

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

JillS56 — Sun, 06 Feb 2022 21:31:05 GMT

Yes. If you already filed your tax return and you do not think you claimed the CTC, then you will have to amend to get the CTC. Before you amend though, look at your tax return and make sure that there is not an amount on Line 19 or on Line 28. These are the lines where the additional CTC will show up.

Do you recall entering the information from Letter 6419 that you would have received with the amount of ACTC you received and the number of dependents?

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:59:26 GMT

Yea i did enter the amount and the number of dependents i think i put yes were it ask if the other parent was claiming the dependent thats why it didnt add it because i also remember seeing eic only or something like that

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:06:54 GMT

Nothing on line 19 or 28

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

DianeW777 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:16:07 GMT

Only the parent that actually claims the child will be entitled to the child tax credit (CTC). If you said that their other parent was claiming the dependent, then only that parent will be entitled to the CTC. If you received the advance, then you may have to pay it back.

The earned income tax credit (EIC) is only allowed to be claimed by the custodial parent regardless of the exemption is waived to the noncustodial parent. If the other parent is not claiming the dependent, then you may need to amend your tax return. This will not be available until February 24th. Read all instructions before you begin should you choose to amend.

TurboTax calculates the Repayment Protection. This determines if a person is required to repay the advance CTC.

What is Repayment Protection?

Repayment protection is an income-based program that reduces the amount of excess advance Child Tax Credit payments you have to repay.

Full repayment protection equals $2,000, multiplied by the following:

The number of qualifying children that the IRS took into account when estimating your advance Child Tax Credit payments, minus
The number of qualifying children you’re claiming on your 2021 tax return.

To be eligible for full repayment protection, your adjusted gross income (AGI) for the 2021 tax year must be at or below the following:

$60,000 if you are married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
$50,000 if you are filing as head of household; and
$40,000 if you are a single filer or you are married and filing a separate return.

You won’t qualify for any repayment protection if your modified AGI is at or above the amounts listed below based on the filing status on your 2021 tax return.

$120,000 if you are married and filing a joint return or if filing as a qualifying widow or widower;
$100,000 if you are filing as head of household; and
$80,000 if you are a single filer or are married and filing a separate return.

For information on the definition of modified AGI, see Topic C: Calculation of the 2021 Child Tax Credit.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Critter-3 — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:22:32 GMT

If you got some of the advance CTC payments that went out in july thru dec then you MUST wait for the IRS to completely process your return before you can amend it ... be patient since this could take a while if you did not enter the amount of the payments you got in advance on the original return.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 15:15:46 GMT

The other parent never claimed the dependent so i will amend and claim the ctc also it said i was covered by payback protection but i going to amend anyways to get the other half of the credit

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Jeomarroquin — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 15:20:16 GMT

Yea im just gonna wait for it to process and i did enter amount that i got for the advance…it told me i had repayment protection but im gonna wait then amend thank you

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Yetijacobs — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:28:31 GMT

I got a letter from the irs saying I owe them money for 2021 child tax credit. I filed my taxes for 3 years through h&r block and they did not file taxes for 2021 because I don't normally file taxes because I am fully disabled. I received all but one of the 250.00 checks. Now I don't understand how I owe this money. Is it because h$r block should have filed a 2021 tax return eventhough I have no earned income credit but, I qualified for the 250.00 check. Do they need to file a amended return with the 8812 form.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Vanessa A — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:33:43 GMT

You would need to contact the IRS to find out why they are now saying you do not qualify for the 2021 Child Tax Credit. The number to contact them is on the letter they sent you.

It may not have to do with filing a return, it may be something to do with them determining that a dependent is not yours or was claimed by someone else.

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

Yetijacobs — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:36:31 GMT

They said I need to file a amended return for 2021 with schedule 8812 form attached and h&r block didn't file a return for me in 2021

Re: Why do I owe money back for child tax credit ?

KrisD15 — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 12:54:04 GMT

If you were getting advance child tax credit payments in 2021, you should have filed a 2021 tax year return to reconcile those payments.

Just because the IRS wants you to file a 2021 return does not necessarily mean you will owe tax.

If you can find all the relevant tax information you need to file for 2021, you can use TurboTax.

You need to get that done by April 15, 2025

HERE is a link for the 2021 return software.

You'll need any tax income forms, such as a W-2 for wages if you were employed.

You should also have gotten letter 6419 in 2022 reporting the advance payments you received.

HERE is a link to the IRS Taxpayer's Advocate which might be able to help you further