Will the IRS be sending child tax credit checks separately this year?

[hoblits2016-]

According to the IRS qualifications, we should be receiving the Child Tax Credit; however, upon filing, only our Federal and State were totaling without the Child Tax Credit. With all of the federal changes, are we to expect a check separate from the Federal return, or should we be concerned that we aren't receiving the credit at all. This year's return was significantly different than 2016, with little income change to warrant it.

[Phillip1]

No, the IRS is not sending Child tax Credits separately this year.

I don't have the ability to access any of your information through this public forum, but it sounds like there is some other reason why the credit was not being included on your return. A couple of the big reasons could be that income was too high (the credit phases out between 110,000 -130,000 dollars for Married Joint returns) or you had a child that turned 17 in 2016.

If neither of the two issues above apply to you, then it must be one of the issues listed below:

1. Age Test - To qualify, a child must have been under age 17 – age 16 or younger – at the end of 2010.
2. Relationship Test - To claim a child for purposes of the Child Tax Credit, they must either be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister or a descendant of any of these individuals, which includes your grandchild, niece or nephew. An adopted child is always treated as your own child. An adopted child includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.
3. Support Test - In order to claim a child for this credit, the child must not have provided more than half of their own support.
4. Dependent Test - You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return.
5. Citizenship Test - To meet the citizenship test, the child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien.
6. Residence Test - The child must have lived with you for more than half of 2010. There are some exceptions to the residence test, which can be found in IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.
7. Limitations - The credit is limited if your modified adjusted gross income is above a certain amount. The amount at which this phase-out begins varies depending on your filing status. For married taxpayers filing a joint return, the phase-out begins at $110,000. For married taxpayers filing a separate return, it begins at $55,000. For all other taxpayers, the phase-out begins at $75,000. In addition, the Child Tax Credit is generally limited by the amount of the income tax you owe as well as any alternative minimum tax you owe.

I recommend revisiting the dependent entry screens and making sure all of the questions are answered correctly. To find the dependent entry screens, follow this path in the program: 

1. Go to Personal Info category.
2. Go to the You and Your Family subcategory.
3. Click edit next to the dependent line.