Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit Q&As
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If you have one or more children under age 17 living with you during the calendar year, you may qualify for the Child Tax Credit.
You may also be able to take the Additional Child Tax Credit if you meet the qualifications.
What is the Child Tax Credit?
The Child Tax Credit is a nonrefundable tax credit for each qualifying child you claim on your return, worth up to $1,000 per qualifying child. The credit is limited to the amount of tax on your return. You cannot receive any excess credit as a refund.
What is the Additional Child Tax Credit?
If you cannot take the full Child Tax Credit because you owe less income tax than the amount of the credit, you may be able to claim the Additional Child Tax Credit.
This credit is refundable, which means you can take this credit even if you owe little or no income tax. To qualify for this credit, you must have more than $3,000 in earned income.
The Additional Child Tax Credit is based in part on the Child Tax Credit. If you do not qualify for the Child Tax Credit, you cannot take the Additional Child Tax Credit.
What are the qualifications for each child?
A person must meet both of these tests to qualify as your child for the Child Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit:
- The child must be under age 17 at the end of the calendar year, and
- You must claim the child as a dependent on your return.
You can use TaxAct's Dependent Quiz to help you determine if someone qualifies as your dependent.
Is this credit limited at higher income levels?
Your credit begins to phase out when your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 ($110,000 if filing jointly, or $55,000 if you are married and filing separately).
The credit phases out by $50 for each $1,000 or part of $1,000 that your modified adjusted gross income exceeds these amounts.
Your modified adjusted gross income for this purpose is your adjusted gross income on Form 1040, plus certain foreign income.
What information do I need to claim this credit on my tax return?
When you enter your dependent children and other information in TaxAct, the program calculates any Child Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit for which you are eligible.
What tax form do I use to claim this credit?
TaxAct calculates the Child Tax Credit on the Child Tax Credit Worksheet. TaxAct calculates the Additional Child Tax Credit on Schedule 8812.
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Upcoming Tax Dates
April 10 — Employees who work for tips
If you received $20 or more in tips during March, report them to your employer. You can use Form 4070.
April 15 — Individuals
File a 2018 income tax return (Form 1040) and pay any tax due. If you want an automatic 6 month extension of time to file the return, file Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. For more information, see Form 4868. Then, file Form 1040 by October 15.
April 15 — Corporations
File a 2018 calendar year income tax return (Form 1120) and pay any tax due.
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April 15 — Individuals
If you are not paying your 2019 income tax through withholding (or will not pay in enough tax during the year that way), pay the first installment of your 2019 estimated tax. Use Form 1040ES.
April 15 — Household Employers
If you paid cash wages of $2,000 or more in 2018 to a household employee, you must file Schedule H
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April 15 — Corporations
Deposit the first installment of estimated income tax for 2018
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April 15 — Social security, Medicare, and withheld income tax
If the monthly deposit rule applies, deposit the tax for payments in March.
April 15 — Household employers
If you paid cash wages of $2,000 or more in 2018 to a household employee, you must file Schedule H (Form 1040). If you are required to file a federal income tax return (Form 1040), file Schedule H (Form 1040) with the return and report any household employment taxes. Report any federal unemployment (FUTA) tax on Schedule H (Form 1040) if you paid total cash wages of $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter of 2017 or 2018 to household employees. Also, report any income tax you withheld for your household employees.
April 30 — Social security, Medicare, and withheld income tax
File Form 941 for the first quarter of 2018. Deposit or pay any undeposited tax under the accuracy of deposit rules. If your tax liability is less than $2,500, you can pay it in full with a timely filed return. If you deposited the tax for the quarter timely, properly, and in full, you have until May 10 to file the return.
April 30 — Federal unemployment tax.
Deposit the tax owed through March if more than $500.