Earned Income Credit letter from IRS

[Lojocorson]

Just received a letter from IRS stating "You may be eligible for a refund of up to $1502" for the Earned Income credit .  They even sent me a Form 15112 to file out and submit.

I have already file my federal return electronically thru TurboTax.  On my return, TurboTax only asked me one question to see if I qualified for the EIC.  It asked if my 2019 earned income was higher than my 2021 earned income of $17, 470.  I answered "No" - and TurboTax said "It turns out you don't qualify for this credit".

Why would the IRS send me this letter?  Also, according to TurboTax's website, for tax year 2021, earned income and adjusted gross income must be less than $21,430 ($27,380 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children - to qualify for the EIC.

I am single with no children and I only made $17,470 last year.

Would appreciate your assistance.

[Cynthiad66]

You should print and review your return to see if you received an EIC because it is usually automatically calculated.

Here are the requirements to receive the credit:

You may be able to get the EITC if you don’t have a qualifying child but meet the income requirements for your filing status. To qualify, you must meet three more conditions:

You must have resided in the United States for more than half the year.

No one can claim you as a dependent or qualifying child on his or her tax return.

For the 2021 tax year (the tax return you file in April 2022), you must be at least 24 if you were a student for at least five months of the year, 18 if you were in foster care any time after turning 14 or were homeless in any taxable year, and at least 19 otherwise. Also in 2021, there is no maximum age limit for the credit.

For EIC, IRS will usually make the adjustment automatically if you qualify.  You should not have to file an amended return to claim the credit.

I recommend waiting until your 2021 return is actually processed and you receive your refund from IRS.  This will let you know if you need to take further action.

[Lojocorson]

I appreciate the response.  I did print out my return - and confirmed I didn't receive the EIC credit.

I am a full-time student - but I am under 24 years of age.  I assume that disqualifies me from the EIC credit.  I find it strange there is an age limit of 24, even though I support myself and am not claimed on my parents taxes as a dependent.

For all of the other conditions that you listed - I had seen those before on various IRS and TurboTax websites - but I had never seen the full-time student and 24 years of age stipulation.  

I will wait until the IRS sends me my refund - per your recommendation.  I was just curious why the IRS would even send me this letter in the first place?

Thanks

[PeterWang]

My daughter is in the same situation. As I am not claiming my daughter as a dependent, my daughter doesn't need to be over 24. Therefore my daughter should qualify the EIC. However, TurboTax missed this part.  I am going to send the form 15112 back to IRS.

[EmilyReynolds]

Hello, my taxes have already been completed for some time now and I’ve already gotten my tax return. Then I received this same letter for the credit of $1,502 that I qualify for. I mailed in my form and it’s been about a month now since then. How long does it take to receive this check in the mail?

[Desaraie78]

I believe that on the letter it states 6-8 weeks after they do the IRS does the calculations to see if you are allowed the credit.  There also should be a contact number on the letter if you have any additional questions.