The short answer is that if you did not work in 2022, you will not receive an income tax refund based on having dependent children.
The rules for getting the child tax credit on a 2021 tax return and now on a 2022 return are very different. For 2021 you could get $3600 for a child under 6 or $3000 for a child between 6 and 17 even if you had no income/did not work. That is NOT the way it will work for your 2022 tax return. The “old” rules are back. The maximum amount of the child tax credit is now $2000; the refundable “additional child tax credit” amount is $1500. In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working. The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1500. If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2022, you do not get the CTC. But you may still get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents instead.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit
And for the Earned Income Credit—-the rules are back to the “old” rules—
Those under 25 and over 65 without children are not eligible as they were uniquely in 2021. And you cannot use your income from any earlier tax year to get the EIC for a 2022 return. There is no “lookback” for 2022. EIC for 2022 will be based on the income you earned by working in 2022.
https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit/use-the-eitc-assistant
AND….If you have children but had no income, it raises the question of how you and the children were supported. There may be another tax-paying adult who can claim you and/or the children as dependents.
What do you mean by "i NEED to enter a W2"? Did you receive a W-2 for 2022? You would not have gotten a W-2 if you didn't work at all. Or are you saying that you want to enter a made-up W-2 so that you can get the child tax credit? That would be tax fraud, and the IRS will easily catch it. It could result in your not being allowed to get the child tax credit for the next 10 years.
The money you hear about people getting for just filing a tax return claiming kids requires them to have some earned income (wages or self employment). Without earned income, they are not eligible for the "refundable" Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit. Both credits are calculated on the amount of earned income you have. No earned income means no "refund". A small amount of earned income means a small refund. The child tax credit does not "kick in" unless you have at least $2500 of earned income.
A child can be the “qualifying child” dependent of any close relative in the household. If you live with someone else, e.g. your parents, it may be better if they claim your child.
Instead, you could allow the non-custodial parent to claim the children. Non-custodial parents are allowed to claim the child tax credit, but not the Earned income credit.
If you are a student, over age 23, and are not claimed as a dependent by someone else (e.g. your parent) you may be eligible for the up to $1000 refundable American Opportunity (tuition) Credit. That credit is not dependent on having either kids or earned income. You must be at least a half time undergraduate student. There's even a loop hole available to claim the credit, if you are on scholarship.
it will not let me go without entering a w2 is what i meant.. not tax fraud. however now i’m aware that i am not getting a refund. i screwed myself out of getting out of here… thank you all for your responses.
Ok ... in the W-2 section ... if you had one transfer over from the prior year simply delete it and move on. Or if you accidentally started one then delete it to move on. If you have no income and no other reason to file a return simply log out and let the account go domant and unfiled.
This is mainly a user community forum, so nothing account-specific can be handled here. Request for refunds, of TT fees, should be directed to TT Support. https://turbotax.intuit.com/support/contact/ use the term “billing issues” in the question box, not "Refund" or it will just give you the IRS phone number to check your refund status. Week days 5 AM - 5 PM Pacific time