Child Tax Credit

[CliftonLT]

Why is this the first year I've run into issues with filing my daughters on my taxes? 

[Andrew_W]

There has not been a change to the Child Tax Credit this year (tax year 2023) compared to the previous year. Often, when there are changes to eligibility to claim the Child Tax Credit, it is related to the age of the child (once the child turns 17 they no longer qualify for the Child Tax Credit).

This article is a good resource for the qualifications to claim dependents: Rules for Claiming Dependents on Taxes 

If TurboTax is stating that the child/children do not qualify as dependents for you and you believe they qualify, I recommend going back through the Personal Information section and review each dependent, along with carefully reading each question asked and double checking that your answers are correct. Some may seem applicable on a quick read but may have been answered in a way that disqualifies the child as a dependent. 

[CliftonLT]

Turbo Tax didn't have the issue. The government had the issue with it and changed my return! 

[LenaH]

Can you clarify what the letter stated and the reason the IRS disqualified you from the child tax credit so we can assist you further? For more information, please see I received a letter from IRS about my credit: What should I do?

@CliftonLT 

[CliftonLT]

The letter only stated they needed more information about my filing. Once I reached out to them via email, I was contacted back and asked a bunch of questions to "verify" my own identity (which included asking me for my full name, address, D.o.b., SSN, and phone number (which I had already included) everything but my username and password!) Which was followed by stating they needed a letter from both of my daughters schools on a school letter head. During these email communications back and forth with the anonymous person saying they were a government representative, I felt I was getting asked too much personal information and asked for the representative to provide me with some information to prove he/she was indeed who they said they were because I started to feel like I was being scammed! Especially since I had already gotten my federal back with no issues, and it was now something with just the State! I asked if I could be contacted directly via phone so I could know I was actually speaking with a real person and nothing. No response back. I left it as that and figured it was a scam. To be honest, I was upset with TurboTax because I had been using y'all for years and never had this issue! I am currently waiting for a reply about the appeal I submitted! 

[LenaH]

Generally, the IRS never communicates via e-mail. Per the IRS statement here, they state that they will never initiate contact with you by email or require you to communicate by email. 

Please read the page above to verify whether the process described reflects the method in which you sent them information.

If you determine that the contact is not legitimate:

• Report the incident to phishing@irs.gov, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the Federal Trade Commission, and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Since you may be a victim of a security incident, please review Publication 4557 PDF and contact your stakeholder liaison (SL).

For additional guidance please see FTC Data breach guidance: A guide for businesses and Report phishing and online scams. 

@CliftonLT 

[CliftonLT]

I received a letter and reduced tax return as a result of that email. The original contact with me was by way of a letter in the mail. I responded to that letter via email. Which it continued in that form up until I asked the representative to verify with me whom he/she was! Then nothing. As stated, I am currently waiting to hear back because I filed an appeal. Seeing how my return was changed due to not giving the person the information on my children, I am forced to believe the person was whom they depicted themself to be.