Am I missing something. I'm a single mom, 1 child received the child tax credit in advance, made approx. 39K last year. I claim 1 all year. Still get less than 1K back??

[neen891211]

I live in MD and several close friends in the same situation are getting 6 and 7k back and they keep saying I must be missing something! Help!

[xmasbaby0]

Are you self-employed?  Are you paying self-employment tax?   Or are you a W-2 employee?   Did you have federal and state tax withheld from your paychecks?

Did you file as Head of Household?   Did you enter your child's Social Security number?   Did you say your child lived with you all year?   

[RaifH]

Without seeing the return, it is difficult to say what errors, if any, are being made. I would first verify that all your numbers are correct and that no typos were made. As @xmasbaby0 said, you want to make sure your child is properly being claimed as a dependent and that they qualify for the Child Tax Credit. To do this go to the screen that says Your Children and Others You Support in the My Info section of your return.

1. Ensure that every child is marked for having lived with you for 6 months or more and that all that time was in the U.S.
2. Mark No to Did your child pay for more than half of their living expenses and other support?
3. When you enter your child's Social Security number, ensure that the box marked "Not valid for employment" is printed on your child's Social Security card is not checked.