Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – Use the EITC Assistant to Find Out if You Should Claim it.
The Earned Income Tax Credit, simply called EITC or EIC is a credit for certain people who don’t earn a high income.
By answering some questions and providing basic income information, our EITC Assistant will help you:
- find out if you are eligible for EITC;
- determine if your child or children meet the tests for a qualifying child; and
- estimate the amount of credit.
Important notes:
- You (and your spouse, if you are filing a joint return) and any qualifying children need valid Social Security numbers to claim the credit. Read more about valid Social Security numbers here.
- You need to know your filing status to use the Tax Year 2011 EITC Assistant. Choices eligible for EITC are: single, head of household or qualifying widow(er) with dependent child, or married filing jointly. If you do not know your filing status, use the Interactive Tax Assistance to find out your filing status. Make sure you know your correct filing status before starting the 2011 EITC Assistant. If you exit the Assistant, all the information you entered is erased and you need to start over.
- You can not use any income received for work performed while an inmate to claim EITC. This includes amounts for work performed while incarcerated, in a work release program, or while in a halfway house.
The EITC Assistant is available for the current tax year and previous tax years in both English and Spanish. Find out more about the Version en Espanol here.
Please select the version of the EITC Assistant in English you would like to use:
Current Tax Year 2011 (filed during 2012) English (Know your filing status before using; see note above.)
Prior Tax Years
Tax Year 2010 English
Please select the version en Español of the EITC Assistant you would like to use:
Current Tax Year 2011 (filed during 2012) Español (know your filing status before using)
Prior Tax Years
For more information about EITC, see the EITC Home page.
Caution: If IRS audited you and took away the Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, you may have special filing requirements and limitations. If IRS took away EITC in the audit, you may be required to file the Form 8862, Information to Claim Earned Income Credit After Disallowance. Find the Form 8862 here. Also, if the IRS notified you the disallowance was due to reckless or intentional disregard of the rules, you cannot claim the EITC for two years after the denial. If IRS notified you, the disallowance was due to fraud, you cannot claim EITC for ten years after the fraud determination.
