Child Credit & stimulus bill

[Jitters205]

My son was born in August of 2019 and we filed our takes in early February 2020. We marked him down as a dependent but I noticed I never got the child tax credit. It marked him as "credit for other dependents" even though it says his relationship is "son".  Is this because he was only alive for 4 months in 2019? 

Then the stimulus bill came in and we didnt get credit for him either (less $500). Why are we not getting credit for him in 2019?

[JotikaT2]

It depends.

When you entered him as a dependent, you should have marked him as living with your for the entire year even though he was born towards the end of the year (congratulations!).

Check your return. 

If you do not see him listed as a dependent on page 1 of your Form 1040, then he may not have been claimed.  You will also need to confirm if box 4 is checked for the child tax credit.  If it is not, you will need to amend your return.

See the attached link for instructions to help you amend your return.  You will need to amend your federal return and your state return, if applicable.

How to amend my return?

In regards to the stimulus payment, yes, you should have received an additional $500 for him as a dependent.

When you file your return in 2020, you will have the opportunity to report the amount of the stimulus check(s) you did receive. 

Since it was less than what you were entitled to, you will receive a credit on your tax return.

What does the stimulus bill mean to you

[scooterpie1968-]

I didnt recieve the 500 dollars for my child can u tell me why

[Hal_Al]

@scooterpie1968- 

if you're asking about the stimulus, this is a common problem.  You'll soon  get a IRS letter telling you how your EIP was calculated and how you can claim an error.

[NCperson]

@scooterpie1968-  there are reports in the press that in some instances the IRS inadvertently failed to pay for children.

however, please look at your tax return where you child is listed..... over to the right there is a check box.  if the box that is checked is 'other dependent tax credit' ... THAT is the issue.  

please respond on what you find and we can figure out 'next steps'.