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New Member
posted May 31, 2019 5:43:57 PM

If you have only made almost $6000 for the year can you claim your child as a dependant and will you get the full tax credit?

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21 Replies
Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:43:59 PM

Your standard exemption is $6200, so that alone means you pay no taxes. If any taxes were withheld from that money, you get it all back. Still, if the child is your dependent, still claim them. But it will make no difference on the fact that your tax liability is zero.

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:05 PM

So I won't get that much back from
My daughter

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:07 PM

So long as no one can claim you as a dependent, and you can claim your child as a dependent while you may not be eligible for the Child Tax Credit, you may be able to get the Additional Child Tax credit so long as you had "earned income" above $3,000 for the year.  Earned income is from W-2 wage work and independent contractor work.  IF your entire $6,000 is from earned income, then the calculation for the Additional Child Tax Credit will reduce this amount by $3,000 and multiply it by 15%. where the most you can get is $1,000.  Since your income is so low, your additional child credit at most may be around $450. however, you may get some Earned Income Tax Credits as well which could be substantial "if" you qualify as head of household.  Your situation really depends on whether you can be claimed as a dependent by someone else, and whether you can claim your child as a dependent.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:09 PM

So do you support yourself and your child on only $6000 per year?

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:10 PM

Ok thank you so much so how much do I have to make for the whole year to get the full about for my daughter at the end of the year. I'm currently looking for employment

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:12 PM

Are you married?

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:13 PM

No I'm not married

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:14 PM

I also got child support I just recently been out of work for 2 months

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:16 PM

If you received child support in 2015, then you may have to claim your dependent. If you don't claim the child and its caught down the road, you may have to pay back all that child support.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:16 PM

@Carl....Please explain.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:19 PM

If I am receiving child support, and I'm not claiming a child on my taxes (be it as dependent or non-dependent), then the potential exists for whomever is paying that child support to "claim" they are due that money back, since I didn't support a child with that money. (From the IRS perspective that is)

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:23 PM

I have worked this year so I'm claiming my own child

New Member
May 31, 2019 5:44:24 PM

I'm asking for year of 2016 not 2015 I already filed and worked all year you misunderstood what I'm asking nevermind

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:25 PM

You may also be eligible for earned income credit.  That is designed as a help to low income earners.  To be eligible,  income must be earned from work (not investment or other passive income), and EIC is paid on a sliding scale -- it phases in at low income levels because you didn't work much, phases out at high income levels because you don't need it, and has a sweet spot in the middle with the maximum EIC.

You really should just file a tax return and see what you get.  You may want to use the TaxFreedom edition.  If your income is less than $31,000, you can file using the TaxFreedom edition, which includes complicated forms not normally included in the "regular" free version of Turbotax. The IRS requires it to be a separate web site. https://turbotax.intuit.com/taxfreedom/

You must create a different account to use TaxFreedom, you can't use your existing Turbotax account.  You may also need to clear your browser cache and cookies. https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3491786

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:27 PM

I forgot one more comment.  Depending on your living situation, someone else might be able to claim your child as a dependent and get a larger benefit than you.  For example, if you live with your parents (the child's grandparents) they can claim the child as a dependent as long as you let them (the parent always gets first choice) AND as long as their taxable income is more than yours.

Other adults you might live with might or might not be able to claim the child as a dependent with your agreement.  It can get quite complicated so provide more details if you want detailed answers.

It can get complicated to figure out how to maximize the tax benefit of a small child.  Making several tax returns would be one way of testing it as long as you are careful to only file one return that represents your final choice.

Level 15
May 31, 2019 5:44:29 PM

You can estimate different scenarios here:

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/taxcaster/

New Member
Feb 8, 2020 12:39:51 AM

Re: If you have only made almost $6000 for the year can you claim your child as a dependant and will you get the full tax credit?

Level 15
Feb 8, 2020 4:38:16 AM

@Nathuff The "full" tax credit?  No.   Your child-related credits are affected in a big way by how much you earned.   If you earned less than $6000, your additional child tax credit will be $500 or less; your earned income credit will be no more than about $2000.  Since you did not provide the exact amount you earned, those amounts are estimates.

 

There are several child-related credits you *may* get if you have a dependent child and if you have income earned from working.

You might be getting the Child Tax Credit--that is not all a refund--it lowers the tax you owe, up to $2000 per child, but if you do not owe tax then you may not get the full amount of CTC.  In some cases, you could qualify for the "Additional Child Tax Credit" which is a refundable credit, and would increase your refund.  If you qualify for this credit, TurboTax calculates and automatically adds it to your refund.

You might be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you paid someone to take care of your child so you could work. This is not a refundable credit, so it will not be in your refund.  It can lower the tax you owe.

You might qualify for Earned Income Credit, which is a refundable credit if you worked and earned income. The EIC is based on the amount you earned.  If you do qualify for EIC, TurboTax automatically calculates the amount and adds it to your refund.

 

Look at your 2019 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 13a

Credit for Other Dependents line 13a

Earned Income Credit line 18a

Additional Child Tax Credit line 18b

Child and Dependent Care Credit line 18d

 

 

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

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

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900643-what-is-the-child-and-dependent-care-credit

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

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

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-credit

New Member
Apr 12, 2020 6:31:47 PM

I’m curious what the ‘sweet spot’ is for filing, so I’m getting the most back, so that I can stop my earnings when I hit it? 

Expert Alumni
Apr 12, 2020 6:45:08 PM

The CTC phases out at an income level of $200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers.

@MamabearcaresQ17

Level 15
Apr 12, 2020 6:52:29 PM

@MamabearcaresQ17 

With one kid, the "sweet spot" is ~$12,000.