Estimate 2026 Child Tax Credit. Per-child amount uses current law; TCJA sunset risk remains.
Total Child Tax Credit
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CTC (children)
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Other Dependent Credit
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Your breakdown
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A credit, not a deduction, and why that matters
The Child Tax Credit is one of the most valuable provisions in the tax code for families because it reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar. A deduction only shaves a slice off your taxable income, so a $2,000 deduction in the 22 percent bracket saves you $440. A $2,000 credit saves you the full $2,000. This tool applies the current $2,000-per-child amount, adds the $500 credit for other dependents, and then reduces the total for higher earners using the statutory phase-out.
To qualify a child for the full credit, the IRS requires that the child be under age 17 at the end of the tax year, be your dependent, have a valid Social Security number, and have lived with you for more than half the year, among other tests. Dependents who do not meet the under-17 rule, such as a 17-year-old or a dependent parent, can still earn the smaller $500 Credit for Other Dependents, which this calculator tracks separately.
A three-child household above the threshold
The phase-out is where families get tripped up, so the worked example targets it directly. Picture a married couple filing jointly with three qualifying children and a modified adjusted gross income of $430,000. The base credit is 3 children times $2,000, which is $6,000. Their MAGI sits $30,000 above the $400,000 joint threshold. The phase-out reduces the credit by $50 for every $1,000 over the line, and the law rounds any partial $1,000 up. Thirty thousand divided by one thousand is 30 increments, times $50, which is a $1,500 reduction. Their credit lands at $6,000 less $1,500, or $4,500.
Watching the credit melt away above $400,000
The chart traces the same three-child family's credit as joint MAGI climbs past the threshold. It holds flat at $6,000 up to $400,000, then steps down by $50 for every $1,000 of income. At $430,000 it is $4,500, and the slide continues until the credit is fully gone well into the $500,000 range.
Who this estimate serves and where to be careful
This calculator is built for parents estimating their refund or planning withholding, and for anyone deciding whether a year-end income move will cost them part of the credit. A practical tip for filers near the threshold: because the phase-out keys off modified adjusted gross income, a deductible traditional IRA or 401(k) contribution, or an HSA contribution, can pull your MAGI back under $400,000 joint or $200,000 single and rescue credit that would otherwise vanish. For a high earner with several children, a few thousand dollars routed into a pretax account can be worth hundreds in restored credit.
Two cautions. First, this tool computes the credit as a reduction of your tax, the way the form does the arithmetic, but the actual benefit you receive also depends on whether enough of it is refundable. A portion of the Child Tax Credit can be paid out as the refundable Additional Child Tax Credit even if it exceeds your tax, and that refundable piece is limited by your earned income. The official worksheet for all of this is Schedule 8812, filed with your Form 1040. Second, the $2,000 amount reflects current law, and Congress has revisited these figures repeatedly, so confirm the year's number before relying on it for a return.
What if my credit is larger than the tax I owe?
The nonrefundable part can only reduce your tax to zero. Beyond that, a capped portion may come back to you as the refundable Additional Child Tax Credit, calculated on Schedule 8812 and tied to your earned income above a floor. A family with little tax liability may not capture the full $2,000 per child, which is the most common surprise at filing time.
Can divorced parents both claim the same child?
No. Only one parent claims a given child in a given year. Usually it is the custodial parent, the one the child lived with for more nights, but that parent can release the claim to the other using Form 8332. Trying to claim the same child on two returns triggers an IRS rejection, so divorced parents should settle who claims whom in advance.
Does a newborn qualify for the full year?
Yes. A child born at any point during the tax year, even on December 31, is treated as having lived with you the whole year for this credit, provided the other tests are met. Make sure the baby has a Social Security number before you file, because the credit requires it and a missing number will hold up the claim.