Earned Income Tax Credit (2024)

Earned Income Tax Credit (1)

Claim your Refund

The Federal and California Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) are special tax breaks for people who work part time or full time. This means extra cash in your pocket. If you have work income, you can file and claim your EITC refunds, even if you don’t owe any income tax. Claiming your EITC is easy. Just file your state and/ or federal tax returns. Be sure to check both state and federal eligibility requirements.

FEDERAL EITC

Federal EITC requires filing of your federal return (form 1040EZ, 1040 or 1040A and Schedule Earned Income Credit). You can also file amended returns for three years back if you did not claim your EITC or CTC in prior years. There is no late filing penalty if you do not owe any tax in the prior year.

Federal Qualifying Chart
Number ofQualifying Children Single, Headof Household or Widowed MarriedJointly Filing Federal EITC Maximum Credits
None $15,010 $20,600 $510
1 $39,617 $45,207 $3,400
2 $45,007 $50,597 $5,616
3 or more $48,340 $53,930 $6,318


IRS Update: Legalized same-sex couple marriages are recognized and will be treated as married for federal tax purposes (Revenue Ruling 2013-17). The ruling applies to all federal tax provisions where marriage is a factor including: filing status, claiming personal and dependency exemptions, taking the standard deduction, employee benefits, contributing to an IRA and claiming EITC or CTC. For more information, please visit www.irs.gov and see Publication 555.

CALIFORNIA EITC

California EITC requires filing of your state return (form 540 2EZ or 540) and having earned income reported on a W-2 form (i.e. wages, salaries, and tips) subject to California withholding. Self-employment income cannot be used to qualify for state credit.

California Qualifying Chart
Number ofQualifying
Children
State EITC Income
Limits
State EITC Maximum
Credits

None

$15,008

$223
1 $22,322 $1,495
2 $22,309 $2,467
3 or more $22,302 $2,775

The EITC refunds are not counted as income when your CalWorks, CalFresh or Medi-Cal benefits are calculated. For more details, please contact your eligibility worker.

Free resources to help you file your tax return

  • EITC Brochure in Spanish/English: This printable brochure provides information about the Federal and California Earned Income Tax Credits (EITCs) along with the eligibility requirements.
  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS): For more information about the Federal EITC, please visit the EITC web siteor call 1-800-829-1040.
  • Franchise Tax Board (FTB): File your state tax return directly to FTB for free with CalFile. For more information, please contact FTB at 1-800-852-5711 or visitthe FTBweb site.
  • CalEITC: California joins 24 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting a state EITC to supplement the federal EITC. For more informationvisitCalEITC4Me. In addition tothe CalEITC Calculator to determine how much money eligible filers can get back, and a Free Tax Prep Finder to help people find convenient free tax preparation sites in their neighborhoods, there is also resources in
Earned Income Tax Credit (2024)

FAQs

What qualifies you for Earned Income Credit? ›

You have income from earnings (for example, from a job, your own business, union strike benefits, certain long-term disability benefits). You did not receive more than $11,000 in investment income such as interest or dividends, or income from rentals, royalties or stock and other asset sales during 2023.

What is Earned Income Credit example? ›

If a taxpayer has a total tax liability of $1,000 and a credit of $1,500, then the taxpayer should be entitled to a refund of $500.

How much does Earned Income Credit pay? ›

The 2023 earned income tax credit is claimed on taxes that were due April 15, 2024, or are due Oct. 15, 2024, with an extension. The credit amounts max out at $600, $3,995, $6,604 and $7,430, depending on your filing status and the number of children you have.

How to calculate your Earned Income Tax Credit? ›

If your adjusted gross income is greater than your earned income your Earned Income Credit is calculated with your adjusted gross income and compared to the amount you would have received with your earned income. The lower of these two calculated amounts is your Earned Income Credit.

Why do I not qualify for the Earned Income Credit? ›

You or your spouse don't have a valid SSN. Your AGI is too high: your earned income and AGI exceed certain limits, you may not be eligible for the EIC. Your investment or foreign income is too high: Both scenarios disqualify you from taking the credit.

How do I know if I got EIC? ›

You can find the amount of Earned Income Credit received within the "Summary" page. Once within the "Summary" page, please click "Payments." You will see "Earned Income Credit" and the amount received to the right.

Is EIC based on total income? ›

The EITC amount is based on formulas that consider earned income, number of qualifying children, marital status, and adjusted gross income (AGI). In general, the EITC equals a fixed percentage (the “credit rate”) of earned income until the credit reaches its maximum amount.

Is earned income credit worth it? ›

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps low- to moderate-income workers and families get a tax break. If you qualify, you can use the credit to reduce the taxes you owe – and maybe increase your refund.

What is considered earned income? ›

Earned Income. Earned income includes all of the following types of income: Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay. Employee pay is earned income only if it is taxable.

How much should my tax return be if I made $35,000? ›

If you make $35,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $6,243. That means that your net pay will be $28,757 per year, or $2,396 per month.

How much should my tax return be if I made $40,000? ›

If you make $40,000 a year living in the region of California, USA, you will be taxed $7,507. That means that your net pay will be $32,493 per year, or $2,708 per month.

Will the IRS figure my EIC? ›

If you can claim the EIC, you can either have the IRS figure your credit, or you can figure it yourself. To figure it yourself, you can complete a worksheet in the instructions for the form you file.

What is considered to be earned income? ›

Earned income includes all of the following types of income: Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay. Employee pay is earned income only if it is taxable. Nontaxable employee pay, such as certain dependent care benefits and adoption benefits, is not earned income.

Can I claim my 25 year old son as a dependent? ›

To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you or your spouse if filing jointly and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year.

Why would EIC be disallowed? ›

If the IRS determined a taxpayer claimed the credit(s) due to reckless or intentional disregard of the rules (not due to math or clerical errors) the taxpayer can't claim the credit(s) for 2 tax years. If the error was due to fraud, then the taxpayer can't claim the credit(s) for 10 tax years.

Is Earned Income Credit the same as claiming a dependent? ›

Answer: Generally, you don't have to be entitled to claim the child as a dependent to claim the earned income credit based on the child being your qualifying child, because the support test for qualifying child as a dependent does not apply for the earned income credit.

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