In 2020, the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was up to $2,000 per qualifying child under the age of 17. This credit was part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and required children to have a valid Social Security number.
Eligible taxpayers can claim a child tax credit and reduce their federal income tax liability by up to $2,200 per qualifying child. The maximum credit a taxpayer can receive equals the number of qualifying children a taxpayer has multiplied by $2,200.
Child poverty fell by nearly one-half, reaching its lowest level ever, after the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 temporarily increased the credit to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under 6) and allowed low-income families to be fully eligible for the credit.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 temporarily expanded the child tax credit for the 2021 tax year to $3,600 per child under age 6 and $3,000 per child up to age 17.
You qualify for the full amount of the Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child if you meet all eligibility factors and your annual income is not more than $200,000 ($400,000 if filing a joint return). Parents and guardians with higher incomes may be eligible to claim a partial credit.
California families earning $31,950 or less qualify for this credit. You also must have a qualifying child under 6 years old at the end of the tax year and qualify for CAL Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
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 $3,600 Child Tax Credit (CTC) was a temporary expansion for the 2021 tax year only, under the American Rescue Plan, for children under age 6, with $3,000 for ages 6-17, and was fully refundable, allowing low-income families to get the full benefit even with no income, requiring a valid SSN for both parents and kids. For current tax years (like 2025), the credit reverts to the pre-2021 rules (up to $2,000 per child, partially refundable) unless Congress acts, but you still need an SSN and must meet income and relationship tests, even if low-income families can get a portion.
The value of the Child Tax Credit for families with low and moderate incomes increases with their earnings, up to $2,200 per child. A family who earns between $2,500 and roughly $30,000 to $45,000 (depending on filing status and the number of children) in 2025 receives a partial credit, or less than $2,200 per child.
The Child Tax Credit is a federal income tax credit available to parents with qualifying children. For the 2025 tax year, it's worth up to $2,200 for each qualifying child (the credit amount is adjusted for inflation beginning with the 2026 tax year).
In order to get that credit, you have to have income from working. The credit is calculated based on the amount you earned above $2500 multiplied by 15%, up to the full $1700 per child. If the amount you earned was too low, you will not get the full $1700.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021, a stimulus bill advanced by Democratic lawmakers and signed into law by President Joe Biden in response to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, expanded the child tax credit by allowing qualifying families to offset, for the 2021 tax year, $3,000 per child ...
The Child Tax Credit 2025 remains at up to $2,200 per qualifying child. For those eligible, part of the credit may be refundable through the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC). Use our child tax credit 2025 calculator added above to see how much you could receive this year.
The expanded Tax Credit: Raised the tax credit amount from $2,000 to $3,600 for each child under the age of six and from $2,000 to $3,000 for children between the ages of six and 18. Allowed families to receive half of the tax credit in monthly payments beginning in July 2021.
Donald Trump's recent legislation, the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) from 2025, permanently increased the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to $2,200 per child (indexed to inflation) and added new SSN requirements for claiming, while also establishing "Trump Accounts," a $1,000 savings program for newborns born during the Trump term, with contributions starting in 2026. These changes make the increased credit permanent, but the expansion remains partially refundable, and new SSN rules affect eligibility, with the main benefit of Trump Accounts beginning in mid-2026.
The American Rescue Plan Act:
Effective beginning in 2018, the TCJA doubled the maximum CTC for children under 17 from $1,000 per child to $2,000 per child. The legislation specified in 2018 that up to $1,400 of the credit could be received as a refundable credit, the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC).
Yes, for the 2024 tax year (filed in 2025), you can get up to a $2,000 Child Tax Credit (CTC) per qualifying child, with up to $1,700 potentially refundable as the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) if you have earned income over $2,500, even if you owe no taxes. Eligibility depends on the child being under 17, meeting relationship and residency tests, and having a Social Security Number, plus your income must generally be below $200,000 ($400,000 if married filing jointly).
The $3,600 Child Tax Credit was a temporary expansion for the 2021 tax year under the American Rescue Plan Act, offering up to $3,600 for young children and $3,000 for older kids, with half paid monthly in advance. This expansion, including full refundability and monthly payments, expired after 2021, reverting to the standard $2,000 credit (with limits) for subsequent years, though there have been recent bipartisan efforts for another temporary expansion.
Yes, you might be able to claim your 25-year-old son as a dependent if he meets the "qualifying relative" tests (under $5,050 gross income, you provide over half his support, lives with you, etc.) or if he's permanently and totally disabled, but not as a "qualifying child" due to age unless he's a student under 24 and younger than you, which at 25 he likely won't meet. The main path for a 25-year-old is the Qualifying Relative rules, focusing on his income and your financial support.
The nonrefundable Child Tax Credit will lower your tax liability down to $0. So you must have a tax liability in order to claim it. If you did not have at least a $4,000 tax liability, you would not be eligible for the entire credit, but you could be eligible for the Additional Child Tax Credit.
Child Tax Credit 2025 payments
In the 2025 tax year, the CTC will not be paid out in the form of payments. Instead, it's a tax benefit that can provide families with up to $2,200 in tax relief per qualifying child. If your tax is already $0, you could get up to $1,700 per qualifying child as a refund.
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.