acalculator

How much child tax credit will I get?

Type your filing status, your children under 17, and your income. The answer is the 2026 federal child tax credit you get, split into the part that cuts your tax and the refundable part.

Your numbers

More options
Child tax credit you get
$4,400.00

With 2 children under 17 and $80,000.00 of wages, your child tax credit is $4,400.00, of which $0.00 is refundable.

Cuts your tax by
$4,400.00
Refundable part
$0.00
Credit before limits
$4,400.00
Lost to the income phase-out
$0.00
Credit you cannot use
$0.00
Income tax before credits
$5,243.00
AGI
$80,000.00

Child tax credit you get: $4,400.00. With 2 children under 17 and $80,000.00 of wages, your child tax credit is $4,400.00, of which $0.00 is refundable.

Where does the credit go?

Child tax credit you get by wages

The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use

How to calculate

Estimates the 2026 federal child tax credit ($2,200 a child), the credit for other dependents, the income phase-out, and how much comes back as the refundable additional child tax credit.

Example with the default inputs (Filing status Married filing jointly, Children under 17 2, Other dependents 0, Wages $80,000.00, Other income $0.00, Tax year 2,026): With 2 children under 17 and $80,000.00 of wages, your child tax credit is $4,400.00, of which $0.00 is refundable.

Method: Full credit = $2,200 × children under 17 + $500 × other dependents, less $50 for each $1,000 (or part) of AGI over $200,000 ($400,000 jointly). The part that cuts tax = the lesser of that and the Form 1040 line 16 tax. Refundable part = the lesser of the rest, $1,700 × children, and 15% × (earned income − $2,500); with three or more children, the larger of that 15% amount and Social Security and Medicare withheld less the earned income credit, if that gives more.

  • An estimate for tax year 2026 (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 4.05 and Schedule 8812), not tax advice.
  • Each child has a Social Security number valid for work, and at least one parent on the return has one too (required from 2025).
  • The return takes the standard deduction and has no other credits. The earned income credit is figured for the children under 17 (it changes the refundable part only with three or more children) and is not part of the answer.
  • Wages are the only earned income; Social Security and Medicare withheld are figured at 6.2% (to the $184,500 wage base) and 1.45%.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Filing status Married filing jointly, Children under 17 2, Wages $80,000.00 gives Child tax credit you get $4,400.00, Cuts your tax by $4,400.00, Refundable part $0.00, Income tax before credits $5,243.00.Source: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 4.05 ($2,200 a child) and IRS Schedule 8812
  2. Filing status Head of household, Children under 17 2, Wages $30,000.00 gives Income tax before credits $588.00, Cuts your tax by $588.00, Refundable part $3,400.00, Child tax credit you get $3,988.00, Credit you cannot use $412.00.
  3. Filing status Single, Children under 17 1, Wages $230,000.00 gives Lost to the income phase-out $1,500.00, Child tax credit you get $700.00.
  4. Filing status Head of household, Children under 17 1, Wages $10,000.00 gives Income tax before credits $0.00, Refundable part $1,125.00, Child tax credit you get $1,125.00.

How it works

The calculator fills in a 2026 Form 1040 with your wages and other income, the standard deduction ($16,100 single or separately, $32,200 jointly or surviving spouse, $24,150 head of household), and Schedule 8812.

  1. AGI = wages + other income.
  2. Full credit = $2,200 × children under 17 + $500 × other dependents.
  3. Phase-out = $50 × (AGI over the threshold ÷ $1,000, rounded up), not more than the full credit. The threshold is $400,000 for married filing jointly and $200,000 for every other status.
  4. Income tax = Form 1040 line 16 tax on taxable income (AGI − standard deduction): the Tax Table below $100,000 (the rate schedule at the middle of the $50 row, rounded to whole dollars), the rate schedule above it.
  5. Part that cuts your tax (line 19) = the lesser of (full credit − phase-out) and the income tax.
  6. Refundable part (Part II-A): the lesser of (what is left of the credit) and $1,700 × children under 17, and of that and 15% × (earned income − $2,500). Earned income is the wages.
  7. With three or more children, if the 15% amount is less than the $1,700 limit, Part II-B also applies: Social Security and Medicare withheld (6.2% of wages up to $184,500, plus 1.45% of wages, plus 0.9% of wages over $200,000) less the earned income credit; the refundable part is the lesser of the $1,700 limit and the larger of the two amounts. The earned income credit here is figured for the children under 17 with the IRS EIC Table method (see the earned income credit calculator).
  8. Credit you get = step 5 + step 6 (or 7). Credit you cannot use = full credit − phase-out − credit you get.

The tax year field keeps 2026 amounts until the IRS publishes the next year's, and says so.

When the data is out of date

The $2,200 credit is indexed for inflation from 2026, so it can change each year. After the 2026 filing season the page keeps using the 2026 amounts and says so above the result.

Worked examples by hand

Married filing jointly, two children, $80,000 of wages. Taxable income 80,000 − 32,200 = $47,800; Tax Table row middle $47,825: 10% × 24,800 + 12% × 23,025 = $5,243. Full credit $4,400 is less than the tax, so it all cuts the tax: $4,400, none refundable.

Head of household, two children, $30,000 of wages. Taxable income 30,000 − 24,150 = $5,850; row middle $5,875 gives 587.50, rounded to $588. The credit cuts the tax to 0 ($588 used). Left: 4,400 − 588 = $3,812. Limit 2 × 1,700 = $3,400. 15% × (30,000 − 2,500) = $4,125. Refundable part = $3,400. Credit you get = 588 + 3,400 = $3,988; $412 cannot be used.

Single, one child, $230,000 of wages. AGI is $30,000 over $200,000: 30 × $50 = $1,500 off. Credit $700, all used against the tax.

Head of household, one child, $10,000 of wages. No income tax (taxable income 0). Refundable part = the lesser of $1,700 and 15% × 7,500 = $1,125.

Other questions people ask

How much is the child tax credit for 2026?

$2,200 for each qualifying child under 17, and up to $1,700 of it per child is refundable (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 4.05). Other dependents, such as a child aged 17 or a parent you support, give a $500 credit that is not refundable.

What are the income limits?

The credit falls by $50 for each $1,000, or part of $1,000, of AGI over $400,000 on a joint return or $200,000 for every other status (Schedule 8812 lines 9 to 12). These limits are not indexed for inflation.

What is the refundable part (additional child tax credit)?

When the credit is more than your income tax, part of the rest can still be paid to you: the lesser of $1,700 per child and 15% of your earned income over $2,500. Families with three or more children may get more under Part II-B of Schedule 8812, based on Social Security and Medicare taxes paid.

Why is my credit less than $2,200 per child?

Either your income tax is lower than the credit and your earned income is too low for the full refundable part, or your AGI is above the phase-out threshold. The result shows how much was lost to each limit.

Who is a qualifying child?

Your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, sibling, or a descendant of one of them, under 17 at the end of the year, who lived with you more than half the year, did not provide over half of their own support, and has a Social Security number valid for work.

Do I need a Social Security number myself?

From 2025, at least one parent on the return (either spouse on a joint return) must have a Social Security number valid for work to claim the child tax credit.