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Child Tax Credit: 2025 Amount, Rules, and How to Claim It

By CalculateBenefits Editorial Team · Reviewed by Mark Phaneuf, Publisher · September 2026

The Child Tax Credit can cut the federal tax you owe for each child who meets the rules. For tax year 2025, it is worth up to $2,200 per child. Up to $1,700 may come back as a refund through the Additional Child Tax Credit.

You must file a tax return to claim it. The IRS does not send the credit on its own.

How much is the Child Tax Credit?

The top credit is $2,200 for each child who meets the 2025 rules. This credit first cuts the tax you owe.

If the credit is more than your tax bill, part of it may be paid as a refund. That part is called the Additional Child Tax Credit. It can be up to $1,700 per child, based on your earned income and tax facts.

You need at least $2,500 in earned income to get the refund part. Earned income is usually pay from a job or net income from your own work.

Which children may qualify?

For a 2025 tax return, a child must be under age 17 at the end of the year. The child must also meet all of these main tests:

• They are your child, stepchild, foster child, sibling, or a child of one of them.
• They lived with you for more than half the year, unless a special rule applies.
• They did not pay more than half of their own support.
• You claim them as a dependent.
• They have a Social Security number that is valid for work.

Rules for a new baby, time away at school, shared custody, or a child who died can be less simple. Use the IRS tool or free tax help if one of these fits your home.

Is there an income limit?

Yes. The full credit starts to go down when yearly income is over $200,000 for most tax filers. The point is $400,000 for a married couple who files one joint return.

You may still get part of the credit above those points. Tax filing status and other facts matter.

How do you claim the credit?

1. Gather Social Security cards and birth dates for each child.
2. Gather W-2s, 1099s, and other income forms.
3. File Form 1040 and add Schedule 8812.
4. Use direct deposit if you want the fastest safe refund path.
5. Save the return and all proof you used.

The IRS cannot send a refund tied to the Earned Income Tax Credit or the refund part of the Child Tax Credit before mid-February. A tax ad cannot change that rule.

Can you get free tax help?

Yes. The IRS has free VITA and TCE tax sites for many people with low or modest income, people with a disability, older adults, and people who need language help.

Use the IRS free tax help page. Do not pay a fee based on the size of your refund.

Will the refund hurt SSI or other help?

A federal tax refund is not income for SSI. SSA also says the refund does not count as an SSI resource for 12 months after you get it.

Other programs can have their own rules. Keep the tax return and bank record so you can show where the money came from.

You may also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. Read our EITC guide, or use the benefits estimator to make a wider checklist.

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