Can someone please help me??

[Amcj811]

Hi. I have five children. I made 10,000 with my job in 2022. Last year I received 6,600 for my four kids in credit. This year it’s saying a little over 1,100. I’ve chatted with three tax experts, none of which knew why both turbo tax as well as H&R block platforms aren’t giving me full, if any, credit at all for them. 
One of them suggested because the CTC form is “not yet available.” But… what does that have to do with the calculations on either website? Is there something I don’t know about this year or something? It’s almost as if they’re not giving me any credit for any of them…? 

[xmasbaby0]

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; 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.  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-f...

[xmasbaby0]

And for the Earned Income Credit—-the rules are back to the “old” rules—

Those under 25 and over 65 without children are not eligible as they were uniquely in 2021.   And you cannot use your income from any earlier tax year to get the EIC for a 2022 return.  There is no “lookback” for 2022.  EIC for 2022 will be based on the income you earned by working in 2022.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899157-what-are-the-qualifications-for-the-earned-income-credit-e...

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

AND….If you have children but had no income, it raises the question of how you and the children were supported.  There may be another tax-paying adult who can claim you and/or the children as dependents.  

Enter your dependents in My Info with their Social Security numbers, and let the software calculate your child tax credit and/or earned income credit.  The software will use the 2022 rules.

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

[xmasbaby0]

And...you say you have five children but received the credit for four of them last year.  Do you have a child who was just born in 2022?

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 2022 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.

[Amcj811]

All of the above has already been done. This is the fifth year or so of doing my taxes on TurboTax. I know all of the questions before I’m even asked. Not even the tax experts can figure out why I’m not getting any CTC. And yes, I had a daughter in November of this year. 

[xmasbaby0]

@Amcj811 With only $10,000 of income from working your refundable child tax credit is going to be lower than the maximum of $1500.     Please re-read the information given to you already.   Subtract $2500 from $10,000.   Then multiply that $7500 by 15%.   What is the amount you get?   What do you see on line 28 of your Form 1040?

[xmasbaby0]

And...does line 27 show earned income credit?   What do you see on that line?

[Amcj811]

Last year I only made 15,000 yet received 6,000 in the CTC with a total of about 9k as my total federal return.

this year I have an additional child and made less money, yes, but I also heard if you make less money, you’re refund will be higher. I’m going to get back to you on line 28, I have to check it out. 
my point is, what changed so drastically this year with the IRS that I went from 6k in child tax credits to 1,100?

[xmasbaby0]

Yes----but the amount of CTC is less for 2022.   You cannot expect the same amount of CTC now.   The rules have changed.   

Check your line 27 and line 28.   I am beginning to wonder if you have something entered incorrectly for your dependents.  

[xmasbaby0]

Also----what are the ages of the children?   Is anyone older than 16?

[Amcj811]

I have yet to file my return so I can’t give you what lines 28 will be. Schedule 8812 form has one multiply the amount of dependents under age 17 by 2,000. That’d be 10,000.

their ages are 14, 13, 9, 3, and 2 months.

to be honest I think I’m just going to go to a guy my friend suggests who does taxes good. If I’m getting the same refund amount (5,818) I’ll just stick with it. It’s weird though. Using the IRS tax refund estimator, it’s around 12,000+.. 

[xmasbaby0]

So you have not even completed your Form 1040?    You may have yourself all worked up over nothing.   You need to be able to look at lines 27 and 28 to see the total amounts of your ACTC and your EIC.   I think you are very possibly misinterpeting the amount you are seeing so far.

With five children the total amount of your CTC is indeed $10,00.  But that is not all refundable.    The MOST you could get as a refundable amount for those five kids is determined by doing the math as explained earlier in this thread.   It is not going to be $10K.   You have no tax liability, so the CTC is not reducing anything for you.   You can still get the refundable "additional child tax credit" based on how much you earned by working.   That amount is going to show up on line 28.  

[Hal_Al]

Your child tax credit is $0, because you have no tax liability (with $10K of income). 

Your Additional Child Tax Credit (refundable ) is ($10,000 - 2500) x 15% = $1125.  This is calculated on form 8812. The 5 x 2000 = 10,000, you see on Schedule 8812 is just the starting point of the calculation.

The Earned Income Credit is only up to 3 children. For $10K it will be around $4500

[fanfare]

use "preview my 1040" to see your Form 1040 before you file.

----

Always print a copy of your completed tax return for your records, and review it carefully before e-Filing.
You will need it if you are audited by the IRS, or to amend if a TurboTax update changes your return or for any other reason,

AND, to find your AGI next year.