Do I have to fill out and mail the paper form of the "Additional Child Tax Credit" worksheet and the paper form of Form 8812, if I'm filing online with Turbo Tax?

[alyoung89]

I got the additional child tax credit worksheet and form 8812 in the mail this week and it says to fill them out and mail those 2 forms back...But my regular child tax credit letter says to just file form 8812 with my tax return.  So which is it? Will Turbo Tax do it for me when I file online?

[Critter-3]

Everyone had to do something with the 8812 screen this year ... so if you got the advance payment and you entered it as such then the program should have  produced a form 8812 which  is automatically efiled with the rest of the return ... there is nothing for you to fill in or mail.   

So does your return have an 8812 in it already ?  Check the PDF of the return. 

If you said you did NOT get any advance  when you did then it is possible the IRS sent you this notice asking you to comply with the 8812 requirement. So  is that what happened ?   Is this a notice from the IRS ?   If so what is the number in the upper right hand corner of page one ?   CP #  or  LTR # ?

[DMarkM1]

Yes, the Form 8812 and child tax credit worksheet are part of online filing in TurboTax.  You will be asked about any advanced child tax credit payments you may have received between Jul-Dec 2021.  Those payments will reduce the child tax credit you are eligible for based on your 2021 tax return information.  The remaining child tax credit is refundable and will show up on line 28 of your federal form 1040.  

You should verify the source of the forms received in the mail.  If they are from the IRS with an IRS letter and instructions, are they for a prior year tax return?  If so, you may need to complete that action for the prior year credit.  

[alyoung89]

Thank you! I haven't filed my 2021 tax return yet, so I just needed clarification.  BUT I just noticed that this letter says it's for tax year 2020.  So I guess it's not referring to the new 2021 tax return? The top says "CP08".  The letter says that it wants to see if I'm "eligible" for the Additional Child Tax Credit, but why would it be for year 2020?

[alyoung89]

Thank you! I just double checked and the letter says it's for year 2020, so I'm confused.  The letter says "You may qualify for a refund" and it says to complete the enclosed forms (the additional child tax credit worksheet and 8812) and send back, to see if I'm eligible.  But I'm confused as to why it's for 2020.  Our 2020 have been done for over a year, and we claimed the regular child tax credit like always and it was applied to our refund like always.  Would that mean that I need to fill out this specific 8812 form using our 2020 tax return information then? And this one has nothing to do with our 2021 taxes?

[AmyC]

Yes, the IRS audits up to 3 years behind when you file. The letter says 2020, it means everything related to tax year 2020. You can open your 2020 tax return and print off the 8812 form to mail in. See .Understanding Your CP08 Notice | Internal Revenue Service