I understand you filed your 2020 tax return and your dependent is listed on your tax return but the Child tax credit box is not marked. Your child was under age 17. TurboTax walks you through a series of interview questions to see if you are eligible for the Child Tax Credit. Here is a list of the qualifications.
To qualify for the Child Tax Credit, you have to include the name and Social Security Number for each dependent you're claiming the tax credit for. You and any joint filers must also include your taxpayer identification numbers on your tax return.
Additionally, the child must:
- Be your daughter, son, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or their descendant.
- Be under age 17 at the end of the tax year.
- Not provide more than half of their own financial support during the tax year.
- Must have lived with you for more than half of the tax year (certain exceptions exist).
- Be claimed as a dependent on your tax return.
- Not file a joint tax return for the year (except when only filing to claim a refund of withheld income taxes or estimated taxes paid).
- Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien.
- Have a Social Security Number issued by the Social Security Administration that is valid for employment.
If you meet all the above qualifications, I recommend you going through the interview questions again. From Tax Home, scroll down and click on Amend my Return, and you need to update other information.
You will then click Edit or the circle with three dots to the right of the dependent and revisit the questions. Make sure the birthyear is correct, and also on the screen with the social security number make sure the box is not checked for Not eligible for employment.
You should then receive a screen confirming the Child Tax Credit.
Since your filed 2020 tax did not reflect Child Tax Credit, the IRS did not issue the advance payment. If you feel you are eligible, you will want to 1) file an amended 2020 tax return, and 2) you can add the dependent to the IRS site for the advance payment.
The IRS has a tool for updates, and the feature to add a dependent will be added late summer. I would continue to watch this Update Portal for the feature for you to add a dependent.
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal
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