Federal Child Tax Credit

The Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a credit that helps people who are working and raising children. If you get it, you will either get a larger tax refund (money given back to you) or pay less in federal taxes.

The Federal CTC is administered by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Application Information:

You can claim the Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child who has a Social Security number that is valid for employment in the United States.

To be a qualifying child for the 2023 tax year, your dependent generally must:

• Be under age 17 at the end of the year
• Be your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of one of these (for example, a grandchild, niece or nephew)
• Provide no more than half of their own financial support during the year
• Have lived with you for more than half the year
• Be properly claimed as your dependent on your tax return
• Not file a joint return with their spouse for the tax year or file it only to claim a refund of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid
• Have been a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or U.S. resident alien

You may qualify for free tax return preparation through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) or AARP Tax-Aide.

These programs help prepare federal and state income tax and property tax refund returns. You can find a VITA or AARP tax preparation site in Minnesota by entering your zip code or address in the search tool. The search tool also provides information about how to find sites where help is available in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, or other languages

 You can also call United Way 2-1-1 by dialing 2-1-1 (651-291-0211 for cell phone users).

To learn more about how to qualify click here.