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Special EITC Rules

Read more about the rules for calculating earned income if you are:

A member of the military
A minister or member of the clergy
Receiving disability benefits or have a qualifying child with a disability.

Military

Combat Pay

You do not have to report your nontaxable pay you receive as a member of the Armed Forces as earned income for EITC. Examples of nontaxable military pay are combat pay, the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS). The amount of your nontaxable combat pay is on your Form W-2, in box 12, with code Q.

But, you and your spouse can each choose to have your nontaxable combat pay included in your earned income for EITC. Including it as earned income may decrease the amount of tax you owe and may mean a larger refund. Calculate your taxes with the combat pay as earned income and without to find out what's best for you.

If you make the election, you must include in earned income all nontaxable combat pay you received. You can't choose to include only a part of the nontaxable combat pay in earned income. That is,

You can choose to include all your nontaxable combat pay and your spouse can choose zero
You can choose to include zero amount of your nontaxable combat pay and your spouse can choose to include all of it
You can both choose to include all your nontaxable combat pay
You can both choose not to include your nontaxable combat pay

Find more examples in Publication 596 under Nontaxable Combat Pay

Find the areas considered Combat Zones here.

Find Questions and Answers on more Combat Zones provisions here..

Military Personnel Stationed Outside the United States

Members of the military on extended active duty outside the Unites States are considered to live in the United States for tax purposes. See Publication 596 for the definition of extended active duty.

Tax Information for Members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Members of the Clergy

If you are a minister or member of a religious order, you may have net earnings from self-employment.

Minister’s housing. The rental value of a home or a housing allowance provided to a minister as part of the minister’s pay generally is not subject to income tax but is included in net earnings from self-employment. For that reason, it is included in earned income for EITC, unless you have an approved Form 4361 or Form 4029.

Each approved form exempts certain income from social security taxes:

Form 4361, Application for Exemption From Self-Employment Tax for Use by Ministers, Members of Religious Orders and Christian Science Practitioners. Even if you have an approved Form 4361, amounts you received for performing ministerial duties as an employee count as earned income. This includes wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee compensation. Amounts you received for performing ministerial duties, but not as an employee, do not count as earned income. Examples include fees for performing marriages and honoraria for delivering speeches.

Form 4029, Application for Exemption From Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Waiver of Benefit s. Even if you have an approved Form 4029, all wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee compensation count as earned income. However, amounts you received as a self-employed individual do not count as earned income. Also, in figuring earned income, do not subtract losses on Schedule C, C-EZ, or F from wages on line 7 of Form 1040.

Read more in the Earned Income Section of Publication 596, Earned Income Credit

Disability and EITC

Some disability retirement benefits qualify as earned income to claim EITC. Also, you may claim a relative of any age who is totally and permanently disabled and fits all other eligibility requirements.