The child tax credit amount is set by Congress and changes only when new tax law passes

The child tax credit is not going up automatically. The amount you can claim stays the same unless Congress passes a new law that changes it. Right now, the credit is $2,000 per child under age 17, and that figure has been in place since 2018. It does not adjust for inflation on its own.

Congress can and does change the credit amount, but this requires a new tax bill to be signed into law. Changes are not may provide, and they do not happen every year. If you want to know whether a change is coming, you need to track what bills are being debated in Congress, not what the IRS announces.

The credit itself is also subject to income limits. If your income is above a certain threshold, the credit begins to phase out — meaning you get less of it. Those thresholds also stay the same unless Congress changes them.

Key Takeaways

  • The child tax credit is currently $2,000 per may have access to child under age 17, and this amount does not change unless Congress passes new legislation.
  • Income limits explore: the credit phases out if your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $400,000 for married couples filing jointly or $200,000 for single filers.
  • Some families with very low income may be able to claim a refundable portion of the credit, meaning they receive money back even if they owe no tax.
  • Changes to the credit amount, income limits, or refundability rules require an act of Congress and are not automatic.

How the current $2,000 credit works

To claim the $2,000 credit, the child must be your dependent, be under age 17 at the end of the tax year, have a valid Social Security number, and live with you for more than half the year. You claim the credit on your tax return using Form 1040 and Schedule 8812 if you are claiming the refundable portion.

The credit reduces the amount of tax you owe dollar for dollar. If you owe $3,000 in tax and claim a $2,000 credit, your tax bill drops to $1,000. If the credit is larger than the tax you owe, you may receive the difference as a refund, but only up to $1,600 per child. That $1,600 refundable portion is called the Additional Child Tax Credit.

You cannot claim the credit for a child who is age 17 or older at the end of the tax year, even if the child is still a dependent. The age cutoff is strict.

Income limits and how they affect your credit

If your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds $400,000 for married couples filing jointly, $200,000 for single filers, or $200,000 for heads of household, the credit begins to phase out. For every $1,000 (or fraction of $1,000) over the limit, you lose $50 of the credit.

This means if you are married filing jointly and your MAGI is $410,000, you are $10,000 over the threshold. You lose $500 of the credit (10 × $50), bringing your credit down to $1,500 per child instead of $2,000. The math applies to each child separately.

These income thresholds have not changed since 2018. They do not adjust for inflation each year, so more families may find themselves subject to the phase-out as incomes rise over time.

What happened to the expanded credit in 2021 and 2022

From 2021 to 2022, Congress temporarily expanded the child tax credit as part of pandemic relief. The credit increased to $3,000 per child ages 6 to 17 and $3,600 per child under age 6. The income thresholds also rose to $400,000 for married couples and $200,000 for single filers. The refundable portion increased to $1,700 per child under age 6 and $1,500 per child ages 6 to 17.

These changes expired at the end of 2022. The credit reverted to $2,000 per child under age 17 for the 2023 tax year and has remained there since. The income thresholds also went back to their 2018 levels.

Some members of Congress have proposed bills to restore or make permanent the expanded credit, but no such bill has become law. Proposals change from year to year depending on which party controls Congress.

How to learn about Congress is considering changes

The best way to track potential changes is to visit Congress.gov and search for bills related to the child tax credit. You can filter by status to see which bills are currently being debated. The IRS website (irs.gov) publishes information about changes only after they become law.

Tax policy organizations like the Tax Foundation and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also publish analysis of proposed changes. These sources explain what bills would do and whether they have support in Congress.

Your tax preparer or accountant may also alert you to changes that affect your return, but they can only tell you about changes that have already passed into law. They cannot predict what Congress will do.

What to do if you think you are missing out on the credit

If you did not claim the child tax credit on a past return and believe you were may have access to to it, you can file an amended return using Form 1040-X. You have three years from the original due date of the return to amend it and claim the credit.

If you claimed the credit but received a notice from the IRS saying you were not may have access to to part of it, the IRS will explain which children did not meet the requirements. Common reasons include the child being age 17 or older, not having a valid Social Security number, or not living with you for the required time.

If your income changed during the year or you had a major life event like a divorce or adoption, your credit amount may have changed. You can adjust your withholding or estimated tax payments for the next year to account for this.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the child tax credit go back to $3,000 or $3,600?

Only if Congress passes a new law restoring those amounts. No automatic increase is scheduled. Several bills have been proposed to bring back the expanded credit, but none have passed both chambers of Congress and been signed into law. You should not plan your finances around a credit increase that has not been enacted.

Does the credit increase if I have more children?

Yes. You claim $2,000 for each may have access to child under age 17. If you have three children who meet the requirements, you can claim $6,000 total. The income phase-out applies to the total credit, not to each child individually.

Can I claim the credit for a 17-year-old?

No. The child must be under age 17 at the end of the tax year. A child who turns 17 on December 31 does not may have access to. However, you may be able to claim a $500 credit for a dependent age 17 or older if that dependent meets other requirements, though this is a different credit with stricter rules.

What if my child does not have a Social Security number yet?

You cannot claim the credit without a valid Social Security number for the child. If your child was born late in the year and does not have a number by the time you file, you can file your return without the credit and then file an amended return once the number arrives. The IRS will not process the credit without it.

Does the credit change if I get married or divorced?

Your filing status affects your income threshold for the phase-out, but the $2,000 per-child amount stays the same. If you were single and claimed $2,000 per child, and then marry and file jointly, the credit is still $2,000 per child — but your phase-out threshold rises to $400,000 instead of $200,000. A divorce works in reverse.