I didn't receive all the child tax credit for 2020. What do I need to do to get it?

[xmasbaby0]

For tax year 2020?    You are not talking about the monthly advance CTC payments sent in 2021---but the CTC on your 2020 tax return?

Not sure what you mean by "all" of the credit.  Look on your 2020 Form 1040 for the child related credits you received.

What do you have on line 19?  Line 28?

Look at your 2020 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901539-how-do-i-preview-my-turbotax-online-return-before-filing

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28

Child and Dependent Care Credit line 31 (from line 13 of Schedule 3)

It is important to be aware that your 2020 Additional Child Tax Credit amount would have been affected by the amount of income you earned from working.

[doodle002]

For my 2020 return I only received $500 of the earned child tax credit. I should've received $3600. How to I get that now? Do I have to file a 1040 with my 2021 return or do I file the 1040 separately? Thanks!

[xmasbaby0]

You did not answer what you saw on any of those lines of your tax return so it is hard to help you.

I wonder if you are confused by either the tax year or by how the child tax credit worked for tax year 2020.   The most you could get on a 2020 tax return for child tax credit was $2000-----and only up to $1400 was refundable.  The refundable part was based on how much you earned from working so if you earned a small amount you could not get it all.     And....what was the age of your child?   If you got $500 that sounds like you got the $500 credit for other dependent instead of the child tax credit.   How old was your child at the end of 2020?

The child tax credit was not $3600 for tax year 2020.    The child tax credit of $3600 is only for tax year 2021 and only for children under the age of 6.

Earned income credit is a different credit---there is not a credit called the "earned child tax credit."   Please look back at your 2020 tax return and post back with specific information as to what you see on the lines you were asked about.

And.....when you filed a tax return ----you filed a Form 1040.   That is the form your tax return was on.

[doodle002]

Line 19 $500

Line 27 nothing

Line 28 nothing

Line 31 nothing

My earned income was $50,176

My child was 3 months by the end of 2020

[xmasbaby0]

@doodle002 If your child was born in 2020----when you entered information about your child in My Info you should have said that the child lived with you the WHOLE YEAR.   That is why you did not get the child tax credit.   You need to amend and change the way you answered that question.  For a newborn you have to say the child lived with you all year.

Select your tax year for amending instructions:

• 2020

[doodle002]

I did select that my child lived with me the whole year.

[xmasbaby0]

Oh----well....did you enter a Social Security number for the child?

Make sure you have entered your child as a dependent in My Info, and that you have entered the child's Social Security number. If your child was born in 2020 make sure you said he lived with you the whole year.  There is an oddly worded question that asks if the child paid over half their own support.  Say NO to that question.

[doodle002 · Accepted solution]

I figured it out. I checked the box that said my child's social security card had "not for employment" on it. Thanks for your help!