why am credited $500 per child?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

Are the children older than 16?   Do they only have ITIN's and not Social Security numbers?

If neither of those is correct---then you have entered something incorrectly in MY INFO for them.

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 2024 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.

Sometimes it helps to delete the dependent and enter them again.

[ThomasM125]

The $500 is a child tax credit for a qualifying relative, as opposed to a qualifying child. That normally occurs when the child reaches the age of 17 when the normal child tax credit expires. You can learn more from this IRS article.

[Edited 2/7/25 at 5:49 AM PST]

@davisreina72 

[xmasbaby0]

 If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2024, you do not get the CTC.  But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/child-tax-credit/L2lNhfGDl_US_e...

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...

[Hal_Al]

How are the children related to you? Do they live with you?

To get the $2000 Child tax credit, instead of the $500 Other dependent credit, you dependent must be a qualifying child under 17. 

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and Other ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, student status, a relationship test and residence test.

See full dependent rules at: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Rules-for-Claiming-a-Dependent-on-Your-Tax-Ret...