topic I have two children that are my dependents and I am not getting the child tax credit. why? in Deductions & credits

I have two children that are my dependents and I am not getting the child tax credit. why?

kcolpitts98 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:10:54 GMT

I have two children that are my full dependents only and I am not getting any child tax credit at all.

Re: I have two children that are my dependents and I am not getting the child tax credit. why?

Critter-3 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 01:32:44 GMT

Ok ... you need at least $2500 of earned income in 2022 to get any of the CTC just like in years prior to 2021.

Re: I have two children that are my dependents and I am not getting the child tax credit. why?

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 01:34:01 GMT

The tax laws changed for 2022.

Have you entered income from working in 2022? If not, you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.

The rules for getting the child tax credit on a 2021 tax return and now on a 2022 return are very different. For 2021 you could get $3600 for a child under 6 or $3000 for a child between 6 and 17 even if you had no income/did not work. That is NOT the way it will work for your 2022 tax return. The “old” rules are back. The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1500. In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working. The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1500 per child. If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2022, you do not get the CTC. But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents

Re: I have two children that are my dependents and I am not getting the child tax credit. why?

Hal_Al — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 03:05:48 GMT

There are 6 possible reasons; you aren’t getting the Child Tax credit (CTC). It’s usually #4:

You’ve entered something wrong. In the personal Info section, for the dependent, you must select answers that indicate that he/she is your dependent child. If the child was born during the year, say he/she lived with you all year (note: TurboTax changed how this section is done two years ago, you may need to go thru the interview again or even delete your dependent and start over). If the child was with you for 6 months and 1 day, you need to mark that the child was with you 7 months. The CTC is not an automatic $2000, per child. It is income dependent. If you haven't entered your income yet, the CTC will not show.
Your child may be too old (over 16). You can still claim your child, as a dependent. What you can't claim is the Child tax credit. This comes as a big surprise to many parents the year their child turns 17. A child over age 16 no longer qualifies for the Child Tax credit (CTC). Although a child can still be a student dependent through age 23, and a qualifying child for EIC, the Child Tax Credit expires the year they turn 17 and you no longer get the $2000 CTC. Instead you will get the non-refundable (up to) $500 Other Dependent Credit.
Your income is too high. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is phased out at higher incomes starting at $400,000 for joint filers ($200K single). You lose $50 for each $1000 (rounding up) your income is over that threshold. Previously it was $75,000 for single, head of household, and qualifying widow or widower filers; and $110,000 for joint filers.
Your income is too low. The child tax credit (CTC) is also limited to your tax liability. The CTC is a non-refundable credit and can only reduce your income tax to 0, It can not help you beyond eliminating your tax liability. But, if you have more than $2500 of earned income, some or all of it is usually given back to you thru the "Additional Child tax credit". That is, part of the CTC may be on line 28 of form 1040 (2021 & 2022) instead of line 19. The ACTC is calculated on form 8812 and is basically 15% of your earned income over $2500. The ACTC is a maximum of $1500 per child (not $2000).
You are the custodial parent and the non-custodial parent is claiming the dependent this year. The CTC goes with the dependency, even though the custodial parent still gets the Earned Income Credit, Dependent care credit and Head of Household.
6. Another possibility is that part of your tax due is not regular income tax, but is self-employment tax (FICA), early distribution penalty or another type of additional tax, for which the CTC cannot be used.

To get a 'second opinion' on-line direct from IRS, try https://www.irs.gov/uac/is-my-child-a-qualifying-child-for-the-child-tax-credit

TT FAQ https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2625810-why-didn-t-i-get-the-child-tax-credit-or-why-is-it-less-than-last-year-s

https://www.irs.gov/uac/Ten-Facts-about-the-Child-Tax-Credit