The Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) is a refundable credit designed for taxpayers with low to moderate earned income who do not owe enough in taxes to claim the full Child Tax Credit. You may not have received it because your income was too high (phased out), you had no earned income (e.g., only unearned income), or your earned income was below the $ 2 , 500 $ 2 , 5 0 0 threshold.
Why am I not getting the child tax credit
To get the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) for 2025, you need a qualifying child, must meet CTC requirements, have at least $2,500 in earned income (wages, self-employment), and have unused Child Tax Credit after reducing your tax bill, with the refund generally being 15% of earned income over $2,500, up to $1,700 per child, and subject to income limits. You must also have valid Social Security numbers for yourself (and spouse if filing jointly) and the child.
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.
It's not something you qualify for on its own — the ACTC only comes into play if you can't claim the full CTC because your tax bill isn't high enough. Think of it like this: The CTC reduces your tax bill. The ACTC gives you a refund of what's left over (up to a limit) if you meet the income requirements.
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 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.
If you haven't received your child tax credit check, it could be late. The monthly child tax credit payments have come to an end, but more money is coming next year.
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.
The Additional Child Tax Credit generally can't be more than 15% of your earned income above $2,500. For example, if you have $50,000 of earned income, the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit can't be more than $7,125 (($50,000 - $2,500) x 0.15 = $7,125).
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.
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.
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You may be able to claim the credit even if you don't normally file a tax return. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a non-refundable credit that allows people with a qualifying child to reduce their tax liability. The Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) is a refundable part of the CTC.
Qualifications for the Child Tax Credit depend on several factors including the child's age, relationship, residency, and the taxpayer's income. Use Schedule 8812 and Form 1040 to claim the Child Tax Credit on your individual tax return.
For the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC), the full amount starts phasing out when Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) exceeds $200,000 for single filers and $400,000 for married couples filing jointly, with the credit reduced by $50 for every $1,000 over these thresholds, though some states offer separate CTCs with different income limits. To claim the federal CTC, you generally need a qualifying child with a Social Security Number and must meet other dependency rules, and you may get a partial credit even with higher income.
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 credit is reduced by 5 percent of adjusted gross income over $200,000 for single parents ($400,000 for married couples).
Families must have at least one qualifying child under 6 years old at the end of the tax year, must file a California state tax return, and meet the requirements of the CalEITC. Taxpayers do not need to have earned income to be eligible however, you must otherwise meet CalEITC and YCTC requirements.
If you have not received your payment
If you don't receive your CCB payment on the expected payment date, before you contact us, you can: Check the status of your payment in your CRA account. Make sure your personal information is up to date. Check other reasons for stopped or changed payments.
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.
The biggest tax mistakes people make include filing late, math errors, incorrect personal info (like Social Security numbers), forgetting deductions/credits (like EITC), misreporting income, not signing forms, and making errors with bank details for direct deposit, all leading to delays, penalties, or missed savings, with using tax software or professionals helping avoid these common pitfalls.
In case of a mismatch, you may rectify the errors at your end or get them corrected by Tax Deductors by making a correction in TDS Returns/Forms like 24Q, 26Q, 27Q, 27EQ (either by filing a Rectification Request or by filing a Revised Return).