Dependents

Excellent question, JDubbX2!

There are a lot of elements involved in that.

Your family experienced life changes during 2021. Changes throughout 2021, such as a change in filing status, change in the number of your qualifying children, or a change in your income could increase or decrease the amount of Child Tax Credit you are eligible to claim on your 2021 tax return. Families who received advance Child Tax Credit payments will need to compare the advance Child Tax Credit payments that they received in 2021 with the amount of the Child Tax Credit that they can properly claim on their 2021 tax return.

From <https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/tax-year-2021-filing-season-2022-child-tax-credit-frequently-asked-questions-topic-a-2021-child-tax-credit-basics>

A10. No. You do not need income to be eligible for the Child Tax Credit if your main home is in the United States for more than half the year.

If you do not have income, and do not meet the main home requirement, you will not be able to benefit from the Child Tax Credit because the credit will not be refundable.

For information about the main home requirement for the fully refundable Child Tax Credit, see Q B6. For information about partial refundability of the Child Tax Credit, see Q B7.

If you are eligible for the Child Tax Credit, but don’t normally file a tax return, you need to file a 2021 tax return to claim the full amount of your credit. For more information, see Topic 😧 Claiming the 2021 Child Tax Credit If You Don’t Normally File a Tax Return.

Your Child Tax Credit may be reduced if your income exceeds certain amounts. For information about how your income could reduce the amount of (or “phase out”) Child Tax Credit that you can claim, see Q A7, Q A8, and Q A9 in Topic A: 2021 Child Tax Credit Basics.

From <https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/tax-year-2021-filing-season-2022-child-tax-credit-frequently-asked-questions-topic-b-eligibility-rules-for-claiming-the-2021-child-tax-credit-on-a-2021-tax-return>

Lots of there are answered here:

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/tax-year-2021-filing-season-2022-child-tax-credit-frequently-asked-questions-topic-a-2021-child-tax-credit-basics

And the eligibility rules are here:

https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/tax-year-2021-filing-season-2022-child-tax-credit-frequently-asked-questions-topic-b-eligibility-rules-for-claiming-the-2021-child-tax-credit-on-a-2021-tax-return

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