To claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for both children, they have to both meet all of the tests to be a qualifying child. Check all of your entries for both children to make sure that both children qualify.
1. Check the relationship. The children should be your children, step children, foster children, siblings, half siblings, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren.
2. Verify their birthdays. The children should be under the age of 19 (or 24 if they're full time students). You indicated that the are both under 13 so the age test is met for them - just be sure that their birthdays have been entered correctly.
3. Check their residency. To qualify for the EITC, the children have to have lived with you in the United States over six months during the year.
4. Double check their Social Security numbers. The children must have a valid Social Security number (SSN) that is valid for employment within the United States. Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ATINs) are not valid for EITC.
4. Verify their citizenship. The children must be US citizens or residents. Children that are US residents must have lived within the US at least six months during the year and have a valid SSN.
The EITC is based on income as well as number of children that you're claiming. To qualify for the EITC with two qualifying children, your income has to be under $55,768 (or $62,688 if married filing jointly). Unlike the Child Tax Credit, the EITC is not a certain dollar amount per child. If both of your children qualify for the credit based on your entries, your income may be limiting the amount of credit you can receive.
For more information, see:
- What is the Earned Income Credit?
- Who Qualifies for the Earned Income Tax Credit?
- Earned Income Tax Credit
