stepchild

Tax

Can You Take the Child Tax Credit?

If you have a qualifying child under the age of 17, you may be able to take the Child Tax Credit. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Amount. With the Child Tax Credit, you may be able to reduce your federal income tax by up to $1,000 for each qualifying child under age 17.

2. Qualification. A qualifying child for this credit is someone who meets the qualifying criteria of seven tests: age, relationship, support, dependent, joint return, citizenship and residence.

3. Age test. To qualify, a child must have been under age 17 — age 16 or younger — at the end of 2011.

4. Relationship test. To claim a child for purposes of the Child Tax Credit, the child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister or a descendant of any of these individuals, which includes your grandchild, niece or nephew. An adopted child is always treated as your own child. An adopted child includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.

5. Support test. In order to claim a child for this credit, the child must not have provided more than half of his/her own support.

6. Dependent test. You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return.

7. Joint return test. The qualifying child can not file a joint return for the year (or files it only as a claim for refund).

8. Citizenship test. To meet the citizenship test, the child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or U.S. resident alien.

9. Residence test. The child must have lived with you for more than half of 2011. There are some exceptions to the residence test, found in IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.

10. Limitations. The credit is limited if your modified adjusted gross income is above a certain amount. The amount at which this phase-out begins varies by filing status. For married taxpayers filing a joint return, the phase-out begins at $110,000. For married taxpayers filing a separate return, it begins at $55,000. For all other taxpayers, the phase-out begins at $75,000. In addition, the Child Tax Credit is generally limited by the amount of the income tax and any alternative minimum tax you owe.

11. Additional Child Tax Credit. If the amount of your Child Tax Credit is greater than the amount of income tax you owe, you may be able to claim the Additional Child Tax Credit.

Questions about the child tax credit? Give us a call today.

Tax

Filing Status – What You Need to Know

Your federal tax filing status is based on your marital and family situation. It is an important factor in determining your standard deduction and your correct amount of tax, and whether you must file a return.

Your marital status on the last day of the year determines your status for the entire year. If more than one filing status applies to you, you may choose the one that gives you the lowest tax obligation.

There are five filing status options:

    • Single. Generally, if you are unmarried, divorced, or legally separated according to your state law, and you do not qualify for another filing status, your filing status is Single.

 

    • Married Filing Jointly. If you are married, you and your spouse may file a joint return. If your spouse died during the year and you did not remarry, you may still file a joint return with that spouse for the year of death. This is the last year for which you may file a joint return with that spouse.

 

    • Married Filing Separately. Married taxpayers may elect to file separate returns.

 

    • Head of Household. Generally, you must be unmarried and paid more than half the cost of maintaining a home for you and a qualifying person for more than half a year.

 

  • Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Child. You may be able to file as a qualifying widow or widower for the two years following the year your spouse died. To do this, you must meet all four of the following tests:
    1. You were entitled to file a joint return with your spouse for the year he or she died. It does not matter whether you actually filed a joint return.
    2. You did not remarry in the two years following the year your spouse died.
    3. You have a child, stepchild, or adopted child (a foster child does not meet this requirement) for whom you can claim a dependency exemption.
    4. You paid more than half the cost of maintaining a household that was the main home for you and that child, for the whole year.

    After the two years following the year in which your spouse died, you may qualify for head of household status.

We can definitely help you determine which filing status is best for your situation. Just call us up or send an email.

Scroll to top