I thought we were getting more back for kids this year. why am I getting less than last year?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

Most of the child-related credits are affected by your income.  Or you could have lost the child tax credit if one of your children  turned 17 in 2017.

Why didn’t I get back more for my dependent? 

Your refund is not broken down by how much you "get" for each dependent.  Each dependent gives you a personal exemption of $4050, which lowers the amount of your income that  you are taxed on.  It is not a refund.

There are several child-related credits you *may* get if you have a dependent child.

You might be getting the Child Tax Credit--that is not a refund--it lowers the tax you owe, up to $1000 per child, but if you do not owe tax then you may not get the full amount of CTC.  In some cases, you could qualify for the "Additional Child Tax Credit" which is a refundable credit, and would increase your refund.  If you qualify for this credit, TurboTax calculates and automatically adds it to your refund.

You might be able to claim the child and dependent care credit if you paid someone to take care of your child so you could work. This is not a refundable credit, so it will not be in your refund.  It can lower the tax you owe.

You might qualify for Earned Income Credit, which is a refundable credit if you worked and earned income. The EIC is based on the amount you earned.  If you do qualify for EIC, TurboTax automatically calculates the amount and adds it to your refund.

Look at your tax return to see the child-related /dependent credits you received:

Child Tax Credit 1040A  line 35 1040 line 49

Additional Child Tax Credit   1040A  line 43 1040 line 67

Child & Dependent Care Credit  1040A line 31 1040 line 49

Earned Income Credit 1040A line 42a           1040 line 66a

The children you listed as your dependents will appear on line 6c

[Critter]

The increase in the CTC  starts in 2018.  

[amorang65]

Right, but it’s not even showing the child tax credit

[xmasbaby0]

Did your child turn 17 in 2017?  You lose the CTC if the child turns 17.

[amorang65]

No, my son is 5 and a half.

[xmasbaby0]

CHILD TAX CREDIT
The child tax credit can only reduce your tax liability down to zero.  It is not a refund.  If you have no tax due, then you may not receive the full amount of the $1000 Child Tax Credit
If your child turned 17 at any time during 2017, then you will not receive the child tax credit.
If you are claiming the Child Tax Credit for a child who was born in 2017, make sure you said in Personal Info that the child lived with you all year and that you entered the child’s SSN.
The child tax credit is reduced by $50 for every $1000 of AGI over these limits:
Married filing jointly                                                            $110,000
Single, Head of Household or qualifying widower               $75,000
Married Filing separately                                                      $55,000
*You can see the amount of the child tax credit you got on your Form 1040A on line 35; on Form 1040 line 52
If you received the Additional Child Tax Credit Form 1040A line 43, Form 1040 line 67
If your child turned 17 in 2017, even on the last day of 2017, you do not get the child tax credit.  There are no exceptions to the rule.  You can still claim your child as a dependent.

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit">https://ttlc.intuit.com/ques...>