Can I still file taxes and get a return if I didn’t work this year, but have children?

[DoninGA]

If you did not have any type of taxable income in 2024, there is no reason to file a tax return, with or without dependents.

You must have taxable income from work to be eligible those tax credits which require income, such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

[xmasbaby0]

There has been only one tax year for which you could get a refundable child-related credit even if you did not work---tax year 2021.   The laws changed for that one year, and then went back to the old rules.   If you did not earn any income from working, you are not eligible for refundable child-related credit.   And...it raises the question of how you and your children were supported----is there someone else who supported you and/or the children who can claim you as dependents?