Why am I not getting the child tax credit

[KeshaH]

If you'd like, we can look at your return and see exactly what you see to  help come to a resolution. The return will be scrubbed and won't include any of your personal details.

If you're using TurboTax Online:

Once you're logged in to your account,

- on the left hand panel, click on Tax Tools and then choose Tools

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- click okay and you'll get another message with a token

Please reply to this message with your token so that we can further assist you. Let us know what state is included in your return.

[Hal_Al]

The fact that you are getting exactly $1000, instead of $4000, for 2 kids, under 17, suggests that you have entered the wrong birth dates. 

[maine5]

This is my third year using TurboTax and I have never had an issue. I just triple checked and their birthdays are correct.   Also, I have compared the TurboTax summary to the TaxAct summary and EVERYTHING is the exact same except the Child Tax Credit.  

[maine5]

Deleted token ID.  No longer needed.  Resolved. 

[DoninGA]

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@maine5 wrote:

This is my third year using TurboTax and I have never had an issue. I just triple checked and their birthdays are correct.   Also, I have compared the TurboTax summary to the TaxAct summary and EVERYTHING is the exact same except the Child Tax Credit.  

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Did you indicate that the the child did NOT provide over one-half of their own support.  Did you indicate the child lived with you for the whole year.  Did you indicate that there was no one else in the household supporting the child.  Did you NOT check the box "not valid for employment" in the Social Security number section.

If all of your answers are correct, then delete the dependent and re-enter.

[maine5]

Thank you, @DoninGA!  I went into both of their information and the box was checked for "not valid for employment".  I am not sure why that checked.  I did not change that this year nor remember checking it other years but that was in fact the issue!  You are amazing.  Thank you!

[sylvia111]

We are US citizens living in Europe for years. This year with Turbotax it says I can't claim child tax credit even though we have been qualified for years. Also, I looked at the FAQ and it says that the child needs to be a US resident. That is not correct according to the IRS website. 

I also filed out my taxes on another site without issues getting the child tax credit. 

Now, I'm confused why Turbotax disqualifies us. 

[MayaD]

Make sure you didn't check the box under your dependent SSN that his/her SSN is not valid for employment.

Also, The child tax credit is a non-refundable credit and can only reduce your tax liability to zero, but won't get any leftover amount back as a refund. But, if you have more than $2500 of earned income, you might be able to claim the "Additional Child tax credit"

Per IRS:

To be a qualifying child for the 2024 tax year, your dependent generally must:

• Be under 17 at the end of the tax year.
• Be your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of one of these (for example, a grandchild, niece or nephew).
• Not provide more than half of his or her own support for the tax year.
• Have lived with you for more than half the tax year.
• Be claimed as a dependent on your return.
• Not file a joint return for the year (or filed the joint return only to claim a refund of taxes withheld or estimated taxes).
• Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. National or a U.S. resident alien.
• Must have a Social Security Number that is valid for employment and is issued before the due date of your tax return (including extensions).

You qualify for the full amount of the 2024 Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child if you meet all eligibility factors and your annual income is not more than $200,000 ($400,000 if filing a joint return).

[Trapical]

This EXACT thing has been happening to me for 4 years. I have THREE dependents. It ALWAYS, every single year, marks my middle child wrong. I know for a fact I’m not doing anything incorrectly. I ALWAYS make sure I triple check the boxes I mark and they are always marked correctly. They always NO MATTER WHAT mark my son as other. I have never gotten the full amount for him. I never got the 3600 for him during Covid and I never got any stimulus checks for him. Turbo Tax DEFINITELY has a glitch. Idc what these bot accounts that work for TT say. I will not be using this bs anymore. I just had to amend 3 years worth of returns and I have to amend this years too when my refund comes. It’s so annoying. 

[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 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.

Have you entered income from working in 2024?  If not,  you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.

  The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000 per child; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1700.   In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working.  

Take the amount you earned from working.   Subtract $2500.   Multiply the rest by 15%.  That is the additional child tax credit per child that you can get—- up to the maximum of $1700 per child.   If the amount you earned from working was low, you will not get the full $1700 per child.

 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...

And for the Earned Income Credit—-

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-credits-deductions/qualifications-ea...

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

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p596.pdf

Look at your 2024 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/preview-turbotax-online-retur...

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28

[11_moon]

I am having the same issues. I qualify in all ways. Have 3 littles and should be getting $6k. How do I fix this so we get the credit?

[Hal_Al]

The child tax credit  (CTC) is limited to your tax liability. The CTC is a non-refundable credit and can only reduce your income tax to 0, It can not help you beyond eliminating your tax liability. But, if you have more than $2500 of earned income, some or all of it is usually given back to you thru the "Additional Child tax credit". That is, part of the CTC may be on line 28 of form 1040 (2021- 2024) instead of line 19. The  ACTC is calculated on form 8812 and  is basically 15% of your earned income over $2500. The ACTC is a maximum of $1700 (2024) (per child, not $2000.

[Kattteto]

I have opposite problem. Turbotax give me child tax credit ,but my kids don’t have ssn and they need to apply for ITIN,but when I try to apply for ITIN in IRS they say my kids are not eligible.

[xmasbaby0]

@Kattteto You are saying that you are getting the child tax credit and your children do not have Social Security numbers or ITIN's?   Are you sure about that?   What do you see on your Form 1040?

Look at your 2024 Form 1040 to see the child-related credits you received

PREVIEW 1040

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/preview-turbotax-online-retur...

Child Tax Credit line 19

Credit for Other Dependents line 19

Earned Income Credit line 27

Additional Child Tax Credit line 28

[LookingForAnswer]

I agree too. 
there is no logical reason for the same information to show $2000 tax credit last year but $1700 this year. Job is same, child was 2 last year and is 3 this year.

none of the 7 reasons listed in the message above apply.