You can determine if you have the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) by checking Line 28 of your Form 1040 (or line 27 for older tax years). If the amount on line 19 (Child Tax Credit) is higher than your tax liability, the remaining refundable portion is listed on the ACTC line, usually calculated via Schedule 8812.
The Child Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit are meant to help working parents with low to moderate incomes. For that reason, families must have a minimum of $2,500 of earned income to claim the ACTC. Earned income can come from salaries and wages, self-employment, and some disability payments.
Why am I not getting the child tax credit
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.
Many taxpayers qualify for both the CTC and ACTC in the same tax year. For example, if you're eligible for the full credit of $2,200 in 2025 but only owe $1,000 in taxes, you'll use $1,000 of the credit to reduce your liability to zero.
You got ACTC but not CTC because the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is non-refundable (can only lower your tax to $0), while the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) is the refundable part you get back as cash if your CTC is more than your tax liability and you have earned income over $2,500. Essentially, the ACTC lets you claim the unused portion of the CTC as a refund, making it a benefit for lower-income families who might not owe enough tax to use the full credit.
The IRS Child Tax Credit (CTC) has seen recent increases, with the 2025 tax year (filed in 2026) bringing the maximum credit to $2,200 per child, up from $2,000, thanks to recent legislation, with the refundable portion (ACTC) at $1,700, also indexed for inflation. Key changes for 2025-2026 include the requirement for a Social Security Number (SSN) for both child and claimant, and the credit is partially refundable, not fully, as it was in the temporary 2021 expansion.
Possibilities include school records, medical records, social service records or daycare records. A letter may be provided as well, but it must be on official letterhead from the one of the following: school, medical provider, social service agency, place of worship, or other acceptable entity.
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.
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. For more details, see Child Tax Credit.
To check if your child has a credit report, request a copy from the three credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion and Equifax—either online or by mail.
The nonrefundable Child Tax Credit can reduce your tax to zero. If the amount of your credit is higher than the taxes you owe, you don't “get back” the rest of the credit as a refund, but you may be eligible for the Additional Child Tax Credit.
To know if you claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), check Line 27 (EITC) and Line 28 (ACTC) on your filed Form 1040 (or 1040-SR); if the lines have a number, you claimed them, and you'll see a refund delay until mid-February due to PATH Act rules, which you can track on the IRS Where's My Refund? tool.
If you qualify, you can receive a refundable portion, known as the additional child tax credit, which is worth up to $1,700 per child. Some families can also receive monthly payments instead of waiting until tax time.
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.
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).
Yes, you can get both the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) if you qualify; the ACTC is the refundable portion of the CTC, meaning if the CTC lowers your tax to zero and you still have credit left, the ACTC can give you up to $1,700 per child as a refund, provided you meet earned income (at least $2,500) and other IRS criteria for the year, claiming it all on Schedule 8812.
That is the additional child tax credit per child that you can get—- up to the maximum of $1700 per child. If the amount you earned from working was low, you will not get the full $1700 per child. If your child is older than 16 at the end of 2024, you do not get the CTC.
Complete Schedule 8812 (Form 1040), Credits for Qualifying Children and Other Dependents. The Instructions for Schedule 8812 explain the qualifications for CTC, ACTC, and ODC; the requirements for taxpayer identification numbers (TINs); and how to calculate the credits.
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.
You might not be seeing your Child Tax Credit (CTC) because of income phase-outs, incorrect dependent information (age, relationship, residency), insufficient earned income, the credit being used to offset other taxes, the child being claimed by someone else, or delays with the IRS processing your return, especially if you filed early or have errors. The temporary 2021 expansion is gone, so current rules are stricter.
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.
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.