Yes, you may be able to claim both the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) if you have a qualifying child under age 17, as the ACTC is the refundable portion of the CTC for those whose tax liability is lower than the credit amount. You must file a tax return and use Schedule 8812 to claim these credits.
The Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,200 per qualifying child. If you have little or no federal income tax liability, you may qualify for the Additional Child Tax Credit, up to $1,700 per qualifying child depending on your income. You must have earned income of at least $2,500 to be eligible for the ACTC.
You're likely getting the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) but not the main Child Tax Credit (CTC) because the CTC is non-refundable and reduces your tax bill to zero, while the ACTC is a refundable part that gives you cash back, often when your income is too low for the full CTC but you have earned income (usually $2,500+). The ACTC kicks in for the unused portion of the CTC (up to a limit, around $1,700 for 2025), acting as a refund for a portion of your earned income.
A portion of the Child Tax Credit is refundable for 2025. This portion is called the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). For 2025, up to $1,700 per qualifying child may be refundable.
To know if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), check Lines 27 (EITC) and 28 (ACTC) on your filed Form 1040, or look for IRS notices (like Letter 6419 for Advance CTC) or specific credits listed in your tax software's summary, noting EITC and ACTC often delay refunds past mid-February due to PATH Act rules.
To qualify for the ACTC, you must have a CTC that exceeds your tax and earned income of at least $2,500, which can come from self-employment, wages, or disability payments. The ACTC is designed for families who may not owe enough in taxes to use the full Child Tax Credit.
Your child tax credit is likely $500 instead of $2,000 because they either turned 17 during the tax year, making them eligible for the Other Dependent Credit, or you might have mistakenly checked a box in your tax software, like saying their SSN isn't valid for employment or that they paid over half their own support, which triggers the lower credit amount, according to TurboTax support, TurboTax support, TurboTax support, and TurboTax support https://ttlc.intuit.index.php/community/taxes/discussion/my-daughter-is-17-but-is-still-jr-in-high-school-why-do-i-only-get-500-for-her-and-not-the-full-2000/00/3423950.
The maximum amount of ACTC for each qualifying child is $1,700. Delayed refund for returns claiming ACTC. The IRS can't issue refunds before mid-February 2026 for returns that properly claim ACTC. This time frame applies to the entire refund, not just the portion associated with ACTC.
The ACTC is an advance payment of half of the expanded child tax credit (CTC) made available under the American Rescue Plan. The remainder of the credit gets settled up on 2021 tax returns due in 2022. Although there are proposals to extend it, the expanded CTC is currently only available in 2021.
Don't claim CTC or ACTC if the taxpayer (or their spouse, if married filing jointly,) and each child don't have the required Social Security number (SSN). The SSN must be valid for employment and issued before the due date of the tax return (including extensions).
To determine whether you're eligible to claim the Additional Child Tax Credit, you can fill out the Child Tax Credit Worksheet included in the Form 1040 instructions. If you qualify, the worksheet will direct you to fill out Schedule 8812 to claim the Additional Child Tax Credit.
You can claim the credit whether you're single or married, or have children or not. The main requirement is that you must earn money from a job. The credit can get rid of any federal tax you owe at tax time.
A taxpayer cannot claim both the child tax credit and the ODC for the same individual.
You must have earned income of at least $2,500 for the tax year. This is key! If your earned income is below that threshold, you can't claim the ACTC (even if you have a qualifying dependent). You (OR your spouse, if filing jointly) and the child must have a Social Security number.
Taxpayers can claim a child tax credit (CTC) of up to $2,200 for each child under age 17 who is a U.S. citizen, national, or resident and has a Social Security number (SSN). The credit is reduced by 5 percent of adjusted gross income over $200,000 for single parents ($400,000 for married couples).
To get the full Child Tax Credit (CTC) for the 2025 tax year (filed in 2026), your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) must generally not exceed $200,000 if single/head of household/qualifying widow(er), or $400,000 if married filing jointly; above these thresholds, the credit starts to decrease, and for the refundable portion (Additional Child Tax Credit or ACTC), you need at least $2,500 in earned income.
For example, say you owe $900 in taxes before the credit applies. The Child Tax Credit lowers your taxes to $0, but that leaves $1,100 of the credit unused. This is where the ACTC kicks in, transforming the leftover amount into a refund. As a result, you could receive as much as $1,100 as a tax refund.
To receive the credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses, the expenses had to have been paid for care to be provided so that you (and your spouse, if filing jointly) could work or look for work. If both spouses do not show "earned income" (W-2's, business income, etc.), you generally cannot claim the credit.
In order to claim the EITC or CTC for a child, it is not enough that you are taking care of them. You must also be related to them, either by blood or marriage, or through legal adoption, foster care, or a custody order. To prove: Send copies of birth certificates, custody orders, or DNA tests.
Many are wondering if the Income Tax Department delays processing refunds if the refund amount is large, such as over Rs 50,000. According to income tax rules, there is no upper limit on refunds. Whether your refund is Rs 10,000 or Rs 1 lakh or even greater, it will be credited the same way.
A new Child Tax Credit (CTC) law, part of the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill" (OBBBA), makes significant changes starting in 2025, increasing the credit to $2,200 per child (indexed to inflation), adding a citizenship requirement for parents, and making the credit partially refundable (up to $1,700) for low-income families, while permanent changes from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are retained, reverting to pre-22021 rules for full refundability and advance payments.