Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

senior95 — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 03:56:54 GMT

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 22:26:36 GMT

Have you entered income from a W-2 or self-employment yet? Your income from working has to be entered first or you will not see the child tax credit. And....you do not "get" $2000 back per child. The most you get added to your refund is $1600 per child. That is the part called "Additional Child Tax Credit" which is calculated based on the amount you earned by working. It can be less than that.

Look at your 2022 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

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

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

senior95 — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 22:36:11 GMT

I’ve entered all info needed and it said we would get 4k after all was input. Then at the end it’s not included, that’s why i’m confused.

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 22:42:41 GMT

You need more information---so here goes----do not expect to get a refund of $4000. A credit is used first to reduce the tax you owe. After the $4000 of child tax credit was put on line 19, it was used to reduce any tax liability that you had. If anything was left over-----then it may be added to your refund on line 28.

The 2021 child-related credits were very generous. Lots of people are still being taken by surprise when they find out the credits for 2022 and 2023 are lower than they were for 2021.

The tax laws changed for child-related credits and are much less generous for 2022 and 2023.

Make sure you have entered your child as a dependent in My Info, and that you have entered the child's Social Security number. Careful— do not say that your child’s SSN is not valid for employment. If your child was born in 2023 make sure you said he lived with you the whole year. There is an oddly worded question that asks if the child paid over half their own support. Say NO to that question.

Have you entered income from working in 2023? 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 2023 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 2023 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 $1600. 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 $1600 per child. If the amount you earned was too low, you will not get the full $1600.

If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2023, 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://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

topic Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return? in Deductions & credits

Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?

Re: Why doesnt the “child tax credit” of 4k show in my return?