Earned Income Changes for 2009 Filing Season

The EIC is designed to help low-income workers continue working. As long as your income is below specified amounts and you meet certain other tests, you may qualify for this credit. Plus, the EIC is a refundable credit, meaning that once your tax gets down to $0, the rest of the tax credit is refunded to you.

For 2009, that means you could get up to an extra $457 if you don't have any qualifying children, $3,043 if you have 1 qualifying child, $5,028 if you have 2 qualifying children, or $5,657 if you have 3 or more qualifying children — just for filing a tax return.

EIC Requirements

The tests to determine whether you qualify for the EIC depend on whether you have 1 or more qualifying children. However, everyone must meet 8 tests:

You must file a tax return, and you can't be Married Filing Separately.

You must have a valid social security number.

You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien for the entire year.

You must have earned income (income for which you performed services).

If you have investments, your income from them can't be more than $3,100 in 2009.

You can't file Form 2555 or 2555-EZ to exclude foreign source income.

Your earned income and adjusted gross income in 2009 must be less than $13,440 if you have no qualifying children ($18,440 Married Filing Jointly), $35,463 if you have 1 qualifying child ($40,463 Married Filing Jointly), $40,295 if you have 2 qualifying children ($45,295 Married Filing Joint), or $43,279 if you have more than 2 qualifying children ($48,279 Married Filing Jointly).

You (or your spouse) can't be the qualifying child of another person.

Qualifying Children

A qualifying child must meet these 4 tests: relationship, age, residency and joint return.
Relationship: The child must be your son or daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother or sister, stepbrother or stepsister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild, niece or nephew). To be an eligible foster child, the child must have been placed with you by a qualified placement agency, or by judgment, decree, or other order of any court of competent jurisdiction.

The child does not have to be eligible to be your dependent unless the child is married. (A married child must be eligible to be your dependent unless you're divorced or separated and have given up the right to claim the child as a dependent to the other parent.)

Age: The child must be younger than 19 at the end of the year unless the child is a full-time student or permanently and totally disabled. Full-time students for at least 5 months of the year must be younger than 24. Permanently and totally disabled individuals may be any age. In addition, unless the child is disabled, the child must be younger than you (and your spouse if Married Filing Joint).

Residency: The child must have lived with you in your U.S. home for more than 6 months of the year. (Members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are out of the country on extended active duty are considered to be living in the U.S.) Time away for temporary absences (for example, attending college) counts as time living with you. A child who was born or died during the year meets the residency test as long as he or she lived with you the entire time he or she was alive. Also, the child must have a social security number that is valid for employment in the U.S.

Joint Return: The child cannot file a joint return with his or her spouse unless they are filing a joint return only as a claim for refund and the separate returns of the spouses would not show a tax liability.

Claiming the EIC without a Qualifying Child

If you meet the requirements above, but don't have a child who meets the relationship, age and residency tests, you must meet all of the following conditions to claim the EIC:

You must be at least 25 and younger than 65 at the end of the year.

You don't qualify as a dependent of another person.

You must have lived in the U.S. for more than half the year.

The Advance EIC

If you have at least 1 qualifying child and expect to qualify for the EIC, the Advance EIC allows you to receive part of the credit in each paycheck during the year you qualify for the credit. The maximum Advance EIC an employer can give you throughout the year is $1,830 for tax year 2010.

Five Important Tax Credits

Check it out! You might be eligible for a tax credit. A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction of taxes owed. Some credits are even refundable. That means you might receive a refund rather than owe any taxes.

Here are five popular credits you should consider before filing your 2008 Federal Income Tax Return:

1. The Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable credit for low-income working individuals and families. Income and family size determine the amount of the credit. For more information, see IRS Publication 596, Earned Income Credit.

2. The Child and Dependent Care Credit is for expenses paid for the care of your qualifying children under age 13, or for a disabled spouse or dependent, to enable you to work or look for work. For more information, see IRS Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.

3. The Child Tax Credit is for people who have a qualifying child. The maximum amount of the credit is $1,000 for each qualifying child. This credit can be claimed in addition to the credit for child and dependent care expenses. For more information on the Child Tax Credit, see IRS Publication 972, Child Tax Credit.

4. The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, also known as the Saver’s Credit, is designed to help low- and moderate-income workers save for retirement. You may qualify if your income is below a certain limit and you contribute to an IRA or workplace retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. The Saver’s Credit is available in addition to any other tax savings that apply. For more information, see IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

5. Health Coverage Tax Credit Certain individuals, who are receiving certain Trade Adjustment Assistance, Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance, or pension benefit payments from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, may be eligible for a Health Coverage Tax Credit when you file your 2008 tax return.

There are other credits available to eligible taxpayers. Since many qualifications and limitations apply to the various tax credits, taxpayers should carefully check their tax form instructions, the listed publications, and additional information that is available on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov. IRS forms and publications are also available by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

These links will give even more detailed information on the credits and I urge everyone to check them out.....knowledge is power!

1040 Central
Publication 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC) (PDF 281K)
Publication 972, Child Tax Credit (PDF 128K)
Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses (PDF 167K)
Publication 524, Credit for the Elderly and Disabled (PDF 140K)
Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education (PDF 368K)
Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) (PDF 449K)
Form 1040 Instructions (PDF 1,101K)

Ten Things You May Not Know About the Earned Income Credit

The Earned Income Tax Credit is for people who work, but have lower incomes. Here are some things you may not know about the EITC.

1. A quarter of all taxpayers that qualify don’t claim the credit. The Earned Income Tax Credit is money you can use to make a difference in your life. Just because you didn’t qualify last year, doesn’t mean you won’t this year. As your financial situation changes from year-to-year you should review the EITC eligibility rules to determine if you qualify.

2. If you qualify, it could be worth up to $4,800 this year. If you qualify, you could pay less federal tax or even get a refund. The EITC is based on the amount of your earned income and whether or not there are qualifying children in your household.

3. Your filing status cannot be Married Filing Separately. Your filing status must be married filing jointly, head of household, qualifying widow or single.

4. You must have a valid Social Security Number. You, your spouse (if filing a joint return) and any qualifying child listed on Schedule EIC must have a valid SSN issued by the Social Security Administration.

5. You must have earned income. This credit is called the “earned income” tax credit because you must work and have earned income to qualify. You have earned income if you work for someone who pays you wages or you are self-employed.

6. Married couples and single people without kids may qualify. If you do not have qualifying children, you must also meet the age and residency requirements as well as dependency rules.

7. Special rules apply to members of the U.S. Armed Forces in combat zones. Members of the military can elect to include their nontaxable combat pay in earned income for the EITC. If you make the election, the combat pay remains nontaxable, but you must include in earned income all nontaxable combat pay you received.

8. You can visit the IRS Web site to estimate your credit online. It’s easy to determine whether you qualify for the EITC. The EITC Assistant, an interactive tool available on IRS.gov, removes the guesswork from eligibility rules. Just answer a few simple questions to find out if you qualify and to estimate the amount of your EITC. You will see the results of your responses right away.

9. E-file programs will figure the credit for you. If you are preparing your taxes electronically, the software program you use will figure the credit for you. If you qualify for the credit you may also be eligible for Free File. You can access Free File through the IRS Web site at IRS.gov.

10. Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit. You don’t have to wait until you file your tax return to receive your EITC. Advance EITC is a portion of the EITC that qualified workers may be able to receive in advance payments, added to their wages throughout the year. For more information, see Form W-5, Earned Income Credit Advance Payment Certificate.

For more information about the EITC and Advance EITC see IRS Publication 596, Earned Income Credit. This publication (available in both English and Spanish) and Form W-5 can be downloaded from IRS.gov or ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).

EITC Assistant
Earned Income Tax Credit
Publication 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC) (PDF 373K)
Free File
Tax Topic 601, Earned Income Credit
AARP Tax-Aide
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