EITC - it's not just for families with children
If you do not have a child or do not have a child that meets all four qualifying child tests and your income is low, you may be able to claim EITC, the Earned Income Tax Credit. We believe this group of workers is the largest group who do not file a return to claim the credit. And, you must file a return to claim EITC.
If you or your spouse, if you are married and file a joint return, worked for someone, worked for yourself or had other earned income* you may be eligible for the credit.
After you and your spouse, if you are married and file a joint return, meet the EITC rules for everyone ( Find the EITC Rules for Everyone Here), you must meet these additional rules if you do not have a qualifying child*:
- You (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) must have lived in the United States for more than half the tax year,
- Either you or your spouse, if filing a joint return, must be at least age 25 but under age 65,
- You (or you spouse, if filing a joint return) cannot qualify as a dependent of another person. If you are not sure if you or your spouse qualify as a dependent, read the rules in Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information (PDF).
Check here for the income levels for this year, prior years and the upcoming tax year . Also, you may be able to go back to claim the credit for the last few years.
Find out if you Qualify on our Interactive EITC Assistant
You can find out if you are eligible for the EITC by answering a few questions and providing basic income information, using the IRS's online EITC Assistant web tool. You can also estimate the amount of EITC you could get. Click here for the English Version of the EITC Assistant or o haga click aquí para seleccionar la Versión en Español del Asistente EITC.
