EIC

[yctt]

Hello,

My son filed his taxes with no EIC.  Then he got a letter from the IRS saying he qualifies for EIC.   He went back to TurboTax, which says that he does not qualify for EIC.  Who is right?  What can he do?

Thanks,

yctt

[DawnC]

Did you claim him?   How old is he?   Here are the qualifications for the Earned Income Credit:

To qualify for and claim the Earned Income Credit you must:

• Have earned income
• Have been a US citizen or resident alien for the entire tax year
• Have a valid Social Security number (not an ITIN) for yourself, your spouse (if filing jointly), and any qualifying children on your return
• Not have investment income exceeding $11,600
• Not be filing a Form 2555 or 2555-EZ
• File a return with the Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household, or Qualifying Surviving Spouse filing status, even if you're not required to file a return

In addition, both your earned income and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) may not exceed:

• $18,591 if you're not claiming a qualifying child ($25,511 if filing jointly)
• $49,084 if you're claiming one qualifying child ($56,004 if filing jointly)
• $55,768 if you're claiming two qualifying children ($62,688 if filing jointly)
• $59,899 if you're claiming three or more qualifying children ($66,819 if filing jointly)

If you're not claiming a qualifying child:

• You (and your jointly filing spouse) can't be claimed as a qualifying child or dependent on anyone else's return.
• You must be at least age 25 but under age 65 (at least one spouse must meet the age rule).   

[yctt]

Thanks for your reply.  As these qualification rules already exist in TurboTax, why is TT not showing the rule(s) that is or are "violated" and that prevent(s) qualification.   Currently, TT just says "You do not qualify for this credit" without explanation.

[AmyC]

When you finish your return, you can comment on the fact that a box with the rules or a link would be good there. Programmers do read those comments from customers.