I went through the whole process of doing my taxes in here but it didn’t give me an option to sign up or qualify for the child tax credit. Why is is not showing?

[hmharvey0312-gma]

I have one child and this is my first year adding a dependent on my taxes.

[DoninGA]

If the child was born in 2023 then go back to the My Info section of the program.  Edit the dependent and for the time the child lived with you choose the Whole Year.  A child born during the year is deemed living with you for the whole year.

Click on My Info on the left side of the online program screen.

[hmharvey0312-gma]

Yes, it says she has been living with me the whole year. She was born in 2023. It is still not showing up. 

[DoninGA]

Have you entered any income on the tax return?  You must have at least $2,500 of earned income from work to be eligible for the child tax credit.

[VolvoGirl]

Does she show up at all as a dependent near the top of your 1040 return?

When it asks about how long they lived with you, be sure to answer all year (pick the top box for the Whole Year). You will have to have their SS# before you can file.  And say the ssn is valid for employment.

Check the question that says did your CHILD pay more than half of their support.  It's not asking if you did.

If you can't get it to change then try completely deleting them and re-entering them.  Sometimes that helps to clear something out.

[xmasbaby0]

Make sure you have entered your child as a dependent in My Info, and that you have entered the child's Social Security number.    Careful— do not say that your child’s SSN is not valid for employment.  If your child was born in 2023 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.

Have you entered income from working in 2023?  If not,  you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.

The rules for getting the child tax credit on a 2021 tax return and now on a 2023 return are very different.  For 2021 you could get $3600 for a child under 6 or $3000 for a child between 6 and 17 even if you had no income/did not work.   That is NOT the way it will work for your 2023 tax return.  The “old” rules are back. 

  The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1600.   In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working.  The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1600 per child. If the amount you earned was too low, you will not get the full $1600.

 If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2023, you do not get the CTC.  But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/additional-child-tax-credit/L6x...

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-f...

And for the Earned Income Credit—-the rules are back to the “old” rules—

Those under 25 and over 65 without children are not eligible as they were uniquely in 2021.   And you cannot use your income from any earlier tax year to get the EIC for a 2022 return.  There is no “lookback” for 2023.  EIC for 2023 will be based on the income you earned by working in 2023.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1899157-what-are-the-qualifications-for-the-earned-income-credit-e...

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant

Look at your 2023 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