Why did the Federal amount due increase with an additional child

[dutta13]

When I add my second child to my information, the amount of Federal Tax Due INCREASES by about $200. That doesn't make sense.

[Phillip1 · Accepted solution]

Your right that doesn't make sense.

I recommend checking the return directly to verify that is really the problem. To view the return in TurboTax, follow this path in TurboTax:

1. Click on My Account at the top of your window.
2. Click on Tools.
3. Click on View Tax Summary in the Tools Center.
4. Click on Preview my 1040 in the Tax Summary view.
5. Scroll down in the 1040 and check the following lines:

• Line 76a Refund Line (I would expect this amount to increase with a child)
• Line 78 Tax Due (this line should go down with the entry of a child)

If there is a tax due on line 78, review the rest of the return:

• Line 37 Adjusted Gross Income - This will provide a  good look at your income 
  
• Line 40 Itemized Deductions - Make sure the deductions are as you expected
  
• Line 44 and 45 Tax and Alternative Minimum Tax - If there is AMT on the return, you will want to see if you can figure out why.
  
• Lines 48-54 Credits - Make sure all of the expected credits are on the return. If your income is below 55,000 dollars (or 110,000 if filing married jointly) you should have a 1,000 dollar tax credit for each kid that was not 17 years old in 2016.
  
• Line 57-62 Other Taxes - This is usually blank unless you are self-employed, have a early retirement withdrawal, or you owe healthcare taxes.
  
• Lines 64-73 Payments and Refundable Tax Credits - Make sure there are no significant differences between what is expected and what is there, if there are try to figure out why.