topic Re: I realized that my 2024 tax return said I didn't qualify for a child tax credit when my income was lower than normal and I always claim my son in Deductions & credits

I realized that my 2024 tax return said I didn't qualify for a child tax credit when my income was lower than normal and I always claim my son

rickmor925 — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:51:08 GMT

My income was significantly lower for 2024, I filed my taxes as usual but added unemployment documentation and Uber income but still made less than normal income yet I didn't get my child tax credit

Re: I realized that my 2024 tax return said I didn't qualify for a child tax credit when my income was lower than normal and I always claim my son

VolvoGirl — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 01:17:55 GMT

How old is your child? The child has to be under 17 on Dec 31 to qualify. Go back and check the birthdate under Personal Info. Also make sure you have entered their ssn.

The Child Tax Credit is not a "refundable credit". This means that it cannot be used to reduce your tax liability below zero. Your Federal income tax withheld is not included in the calculation of your tax liability. In other words you have to have a tax to reduce. If your income is low and you don't owe any tax you won't get any credit back. Or if you only owe a small tax then that's all you can get back.

OR there are a couple questions you could have answered wrong under My Info. If your child was away at college, count the number of months away as having lived with you. The correct answer to claim the person is to say “the whole year”. This will indicate you supported the person the whole year, thus it will be entered on your return correctly showing up as a dependent.

Or the one that says did your CHILD pay more than half of their support. It’s not asking if you did.

And I think you have to have $2,500 of earned income to get the Child Tax Credit.

Re: I realized that my 2024 tax return said I didn't qualify for a child tax credit when my income was lower than normal and I always claim my son

VolvoGirl — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 01:25:25 GMT

Here are some links I found

See this FAQ on the Child Tax Credit

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/child-tax-credit/L2lNhfGDl_US_en_US

Additional Child Tax Credit

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/additional-child-tax-credit/L6xFeMFEf_US_en_US

IRS does my child qualify for the Child Tax Credit

Does my child/dependent qualify for the child tax credit or the credit for other dependents? | Internal Revenue Service

Re: I realized that my 2024 tax return said I didn't qualify for a child tax credit when my income was lower than normal and I always claim my son

xmasbaby0 — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:59:41 GMT

The refundable "additional child tax credit" is based on having income from working---so your unemployment benefits do not count toward the income that would be used for that credit. If you did not have at least $2500 of income from working at a W-2 job or from self-employment, then you would not be eligible to get the refundable additional child tax credit of up to $1700.

But we do not know enough about your situation. You have not mentioned the age of your child or how much income you made with Uber.

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 2024 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 2024? If not, you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.

The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1700. In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working.

Take the amount you earned from working. Subtract $2500. Multiply the rest by 15%. That is the additional child tax credit per child that you can get—- up to the maximum of $1700 per child. If the amount you earned from working was low, you will not get the full $1700 per child.

If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2024, you do not get the CTC. But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/child-tax-credit/L2lNhfGDl_US_en_US?uid=m68dfq2u

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

And for the Earned Income Credit—-

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-credits-deductions/qualifications-earned-income-credit-eic-eitc/L7w4BFP32_US_en_US?uid=m62rmz09

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p596.pdf

Look at your 2024 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/preview-turbotax-online-return-filing/L77WCkvnu_US_en_US?uid=m681fkhr

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28