To qualify for and claim the Earned Income Credit must have earned income. Even if you are not required to file a tax return, you must file a return to get the Earned income credit.
According to Turbo Tax FAQ: You can still qualify for the Earned Income Credit if you:
- Have earned income; and
- Have been a U.S. citizen or resident alien for the entire tax year; and
- Have a valid Social Security number (not an ITIN) for yourself, your spouse (if filing jointly), and any qualifying children on your return; and
- Not have investment income exceeding $3,450; and
- Not be filing a Form 2555 or 2555-EZ; and
- File a return with the Single, Married Filing Jointly, Head of Household, or Qualifying Widower filing status, even if you're not required to file a return.
In addition, both your earned income and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) may not exceed:
- $15,010 if you're not claiming a qualifying child ($20,600 if filing jointly);
- $39,617 if you're claiming 1 qualifying child ($45,207 if filing jointly);
- $45,007 if you're claiming 2 qualifying children ($50,597 if filing jointly);
- $48,340 if you're claiming 3+ qualifying children ($53,930 if filing jointly).
One more thing – if you're not claiming a qualifying child:
- You (or your jointly filing spouse) must have been born on or after January 1, 1953; and
- You (or your jointly filing spouse) must have been born on or before December 31, 1992; and
- You (and your jointly filing spouse) cannot be claimed as a qualifying child or dependent on anyone else's return.
Phew! Got all that? Fortunately, TurboTax handles the behind-the-scenes calculations so you don't have to.
To visit the EIC section, search for EIC in your TurboTax program and then select the "Jump to" link in your search results. However, don't do this until after you've entered all your income and personal information – otherwise you'll get an incorrect EIC calculation.
