Turbo Tax simply asked if I supported a child, thinking I might be eligible for some deductions. Come to find out, I claimed my girl's child somehow. Please help.

[gstevensphoto]

During the tubro tax deduction/credit, I claimed that I had supported my girlfriend's child. My thoughts were that it was some sort of deduction for being an awesome step parent. Instead, my girl found out her daughter had already been claimed and she cannot claim her this year. My girl filed before I did, but somehow Turbo Tax casually through her into my claims instead after specially saying I cannot claim her since I chose the option "The other parent must claim her this year". How the heck did this happen??? Turbo Tax asked simple questions, and just for the heck of it, asked for her social security card to check information. To put it simply, Turbo Tax said I would not be eligible for child tax credit, but at the end, gave it to me anyway? maybe? I don't even know how to check. If I did receive credit for her child, then why after making 40k last year, did I only recieve $2 plus child tax credit (1600)?

[xmasbaby0]

You made a mistake.   If you are not the child's bio-dad   (you referred to the child as your "girlfriend's child") and are not legally married to the child's mother, you are not a parent or a legal step parent.  The child cannot be claimed on two tax returns.   You claimed the child and filed with her SSN on your tax return, and your e-file was accepted first.  Your GF's e-file was rejected because of the duplicate use of the child's SSN.  They took your return first, which blocks GF from e-filing now.   

You need to wait for your return to be fully processed and then amend it using a Form 1040X and remove all information about the child from your tax return.   The 1040X will become available sometime in mid-February.

If you received the CTC of $1600 for claiming the child, you will owe that back to the IRS, so do not spend it.   In fact, you will owe back the full $2000 of CTC, because the full amount of the CTC is $2000 and $1600 is refundable.   You were not eligible to get the CTC for a GF's child.    And...if you filed as Head of Household based on claiming the child, you have a problem there too.   It is not clear from what you posted whether you made that mistake as well.

Meanwhile, since you already filed and claimed the child, and put her SSN into the system, your GF who wants to claim her own child on a tax return --- cannot e-file at all this year.   Your GF will have to file her tax return that claims her child by mail.  She will have to print, sign and date her return in ink, and mail it in.  She does not need to wait for you to amend to do this.  She can do this now.

When your GF mails her return:

When you mail a tax return, you need to attach any documents showing tax withheld, such as your W-2’s or any 1099’s.  Use a mailing service that will track it, such as UPS or certified mail so you will know the IRS/state received the return.

Federal and state returns must be in separate envelopes and they are mailed to different addresses.  Read the mailing instructions that print with your tax return carefully so you mail them to the right addresses.