What is this calculator for?
You earned $34,000 last year working full-time as a home health aide while raising two kids. You're about to file taxes and you've heard about the Earned Income Tax Credit but don't know if you qualify or how much. Or you're a single parent working 35 hours a week at $16/hour, you've been told the Child Tax Credit can come back as cash, and you want to know what to expect at filing. These two credits — EITC and CTC — are the largest federal anti-poverty programs in the US tax code. Together they pay out roughly $100 billion a year to working families.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable credit for low-to-moderate-income workers, scaled by number of qualifying children. The 2024 maximum: $632 for childless workers, $4,213 with one child, $6,960 with two children, $7,830 with three or more. The credit phases in as your earned income rises (incentivizing work), plateaus at maximum benefit, then phases out as income rises further. The phaseout for a married-filing-jointly couple with three kids extends to $66,800; for childless workers it phases out by $25,000.
The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a credit for each qualifying child under 17. The 2024 amount: $2,000 per child, with up to $1,700 refundable (Additional Child Tax Credit). The credit phases out for higher earners starting at $200,000 single / $400,000 married. The $500 Credit for Other Dependents (ODC) covers older children, college students, and adult dependents you support. Together EITC + CTC are why a single parent earning $30,000 with two kids can receive a $7,000-9,000 federal refund — these credits exceed their federal income tax owed and pay the difference as cash.
This calculator estimates both credits for your specific situation: filing status, earned income, AGI, number of qualifying children and other dependents. It identifies eligibility, estimated credit amount, and any phaseout impacts. Use it before filing to ensure you don't miss credits you're entitled to.
How to use this calculator
Pick your filing status. Single, head of household, married filing jointly all qualify for EITC and CTC. Married filing separately disqualifies you from EITC (with very limited exceptions). Head of household is the right status for most unmarried filers with children — and it has more generous EITC phaseouts than single.
Enter your earned income. This is wages from W-2 employment plus net self-employment income (Schedule C line 31). It does NOT include: interest, dividends, capital gains, retirement distributions, Social Security, unemployment, or alimony. EITC specifically requires earned income; people with substantial investment income (over $11,600 in 2024) are disqualified regardless of earned income level.
Enter your AGI (adjusted gross income). This is total income minus above-the-line deductions (HSA contributions, traditional IRA contributions, half of self-employment tax, student loan interest deduction). For most W-2 workers, AGI = earned income. For self-employed: net SE income minus half of SE tax. For people with investment income on top of wages, AGI is wages plus net investment income.
Enter number of qualifying children (under 19, or under 24 if full-time student, or any age if permanently disabled — must live with you more than half the year, must be your child/step/foster/sibling/descendant). For each child, also indicate whether they have an SSN (required for CTC). Enter number of other dependents (adults you support, college students you support over 18, parents you support — entitled to the $500 ODC). The calculator computes both EITC and CTC, accounting for phaseouts and refundability.
Understanding your results
The calculator returns your EITC amount, CTC amount, refundable portion of CTC (Additional Child Tax Credit), and Credit for Other Dependents. Total estimated credits sum to your maximum federal refund boost.
How to read it. EITC is fully refundable — if your federal tax owed is $400 and your EITC is $3,800, you get the full $3,800 back ($400 of tax canceled, $3,400 paid as refund). CTC is partly refundable — up to $1,700 per child can be paid as refund even if you owe less tax; the remaining $300 per child is non-refundable (it can zero out tax owed but can't pay below zero). The Credit for Other Dependents is fully non-refundable.
The cliff effects to watch. EITC has a maximum credit zone (the "plateau") and then phases out as income rises. For a married couple with two kids, EITC is maximum ($6,960) at earned income $17,300-$28,950, then phases down to zero by $63,400. A raise from $28,950 to $32,000 reduces your EITC by about $510 — your effective marginal "tax" on that $3,050 of additional income is 17% from EITC phaseout alone, on top of federal/state/FICA. This phenomenon — high effective marginal rates for low-income workers — is well-documented and a real consideration for hourly workers deciding on overtime.
The most common EITC errors: (1) Filing married-filing-separately, which disqualifies you. (2) Excluding investment income (>$11,600 in 2024 disqualifies you entirely — capital gains realizations matter here). (3) Claiming a child who doesn't meet residency or relationship tests. The IRS audits EITC at a much higher rate than other credits because the eligibility rules are complex and errors are common. Doing the calculation correctly the first time matters.
The 2026 sunset risk. The CTC was temporarily expanded to $3,000-3,600 per child (fully refundable) for tax year 2021 only. It reverted to $2,000/$1,700-refundable in 2022. The $2,000 CTC is currently scheduled in law; ongoing congressional negotiations could either expand it again or let it drop to $1,000/$700-refundable after 2025. For families with kids, the policy uncertainty matters — the difference between $2,000 and $3,600 per child is significant.
A worked example
Maria, 29, single, lives in Phoenix with her two children (ages 5 and 7, both have SSNs). She works as a teaching assistant earning $32,400/year. She has no investment income, no second job. She'll file as Head of Household with two qualifying children.
EITC math: Two qualifying children. Earned income $32,400 falls just above the plateau zone (peak EITC for HoH 2-kids is at $17,400-$22,720). She's in the phaseout but still receives substantial credit. 2024 EITC for HoH with 2 kids at $32,400 earned income: approximately $5,840.
CTC math: $2,000 × 2 children = $4,000 total credit. Her federal tax liability before credits: roughly $1,030 (HoH, $32,400 income minus standard deduction). Non-refundable CTC of $300 per child × 2 = $600 absorbs her remaining tax liability ($1,030 − $600 = $430 still owed before refundable portion kicks in). Refundable CTC (Additional CTC): up to $1,700 per child = $3,400 max. Calculation: 15% of earned income above $2,500 = 15% × ($32,400 − $2,500) = 15% × $29,900 = $4,485, capped at $3,400. She gets the full $3,400 refundable.
Total federal refund (assuming no withholding for simplicity): EITC $5,840 + ACTC $3,400 = $9,240 paid as refund. Plus the non-refundable CTC of $600 + $430 wages-net-of-tax savings from credits applying first. In practice, Maria probably had about $1,000 federal withheld during the year, which would also come back. Total likely federal refund: $10,000+. This is more than 30% of her gross income, refunded in a single April payment.
Now imagine Maria gets a raise to $42,000. EITC phases down further: for HoH 2-kids, EITC at $42,000 is approximately $3,200 (down from $5,840 — phaseout cost her $2,640 of credit on a $9,600 raise, an effective 27.5% rate). Federal tax liability with new income: roughly $2,400. Non-refundable CTC: $600 absorbed. Refundable: still $3,400. Total federal refund (no withholding): EITC $3,200 + ACTC $3,400 = $6,600. Net change from raise: $9,600 raise − $2,640 EITC loss − $1,400 higher tax = $5,560 net benefit. About 58% of the raise reaches her bottom line, which is similar to a high-bracket professional's marginal tax rate. The EITC phaseout is the explanation for why work doesn't pay proportionally for low-income workers; it's a real economic constraint, not a behavioral one.
State-by-state variations
Thirty-one states plus DC and Puerto Rico have state EITCs that match a percentage of the federal credit. The most generous: California (up to 85% match for very low earners on the federal portion plus a separate CA-specific young child tax credit), Maryland (up to 50%), New York (30%), DC (40%). Some states have refundable EITCs (match the federal refundability); some are non-refundable (only reduce state tax owed). Filing federal EITC automatically computes state EITC in most tax software, but DIY filers occasionally miss it. The state EITC can add $400-2,000 to a low-income filer's combined refund.
State CTCs are less common than state EITCs but expanding. Several states implemented permanent CTCs after the 2021 federal expansion: California ($1,083 Young Child Tax Credit), Colorado (10-30% match on federal), Minnesota (up to $1,750 per child), New Mexico ($175-600 per child), Oklahoma ($5 per qualifying child — minimal). State CTC eligibility usually mirrors federal but rules vary; check your state's department of revenue.
State filing deadlines and refund timing match federal in most states (April 15 with extensions to October 15 for non-payment). State EITC and CTC are typically claimed on the same state return as your state income tax — Schedule for credits, line for each credit. For most filers, tax software handles the claim automatically once federal eligibility is established.
Related resources
For broader federal tax estimation including these credits, see the Income Tax Calculator and Tax Refund Estimator. For low-income filers, related benefit programs include the SNAP Eligibility Checker, Medicaid Eligibility, and ACA Subsidy Estimator — all means-tested federal/state programs with similar income thresholds. For state-specific EITC and CTC, your state's department of revenue. The IRS EITC page has the assistant tool that walks through eligibility step-by-step; the IRS CTC page covers the latest qualification rules.