The Child Tax Credit (CTC) for the tax year 2025 (to be filed in 2026) is $2,000, out of which $1,700 is refundable through the Additional Child Tax Credit. A parent or guardian can claim it with the tax refund for tax year 2025, whose filing is likely to start in the third week of January 2025 or around it.
Any qualifying taxpayer (whether single, married, or head of household) can get up to $1,700 through the ACTC if they owe no taxes. To get the benefits, one must claim the Child Tax Credit, for which they must file a federal tax return and complete Schedule 8812, which determines eligibility and calculates the credit amount.
If a parent or guardian owes taxes up to $2,000, they may be able to reduce or eliminate that tax bill by claiming the Child Tax Credit. It is eligible taxpayers to receive a credit of up to $2,000 per qualifying child under the age of 17 years, to check the eligibility criteria and claiming process, you are required to stay tuned till the end of this article.
| Total CTC Amount | $2,000 per qualifying child |
| Refundable Portion (ACTC) | Up to $1,700 |
| Eligibility Child Age | Under 17 as of December 31, 2025 |
| Income Limit (Single) | $200,000 MAGI |
| Income Limit (Married Jointly) | $400,000 MAGI |
| Credit Phaseout | Reduces by $50 for every $1,000 above income limit |
| Residency Requirement | Child must not provide over 50% of their support |
| Support Test | Must be a child, stepchild, sibling, foster child, or descendant |
| Relationship Requirement | Must be child, stepchild, sibling, foster child, or descendant |
| How to Claim | File IRS Form 1040 + Schedule 8812 via IRS Free File |
| Refund Timeline | Expected after Feb 15, 2026 (due to PATH Act); usually within 21 days |
| Official Website | irs.gov |
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria to avail of the benefits of the Child Tax Credit are available below, go through the listed points to check that you are eligible to receive a credit of up to $2,000.
- The child’s age should be below 17 years as of tax year. For the tax year 2025, the cut-off date to calculate the age of a child is December 31, 2025.
- The relationship of a child with the taxpayer payer should be son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of any of them (e.g., grandchild, niece, or nephew).
- The child did not have paid more than 50% of the costs for his or her own food, housing, clothing, education, medical care, etc, in the tax year 2025 i.e. Between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.
- It is mandatory that the child has lived more than half a year (six months) during the 2025 tax year with you i.e. his/her parent or guardian.
If you claim the CTC as single, your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) shouldn’t exceed $200,000; and in case of claiming as a couple, the MAGI is $400,000. If your MAGI is above the threshold, you can still claim the CTC, for each $1,000 increase, the credit amount is reduced by $50.
How to Claim?
The step-by-step instructions to claim the Child Tax Credit for tax year 2025 is available below, once the tax season 2026 starts, you will be able to claim it by going through the listed points.
- Go to the official website of the Internal Revenue Service at irs.gov/.
- Click on “File Your Taxes for Free,” and pick a free filing provider that suits you.
- Start your tax return (Form 1040) by entering your personal details like name, address, and income info.
- Add your child as a dependent by entering their name, SSN, and relationship to you, and checking the CTC box.
- It will automatically open Schedule 8812 to figure out how much credit you qualify for, including any refund.
- Review all the details you have provided, select direct deposit for faster payment, and submit your e-file to download your tax return.
If you face any problem in claiming the CTC for tax year 2025, it is highly recommended to get it in touch with the tax professional.
When to expect the refund?
As the Child Tax Credit for the tax year 2025 is $2,000, out of which, $1,700 is refundable through the Additional Child Tax Credit; if you own taxes or less than the refundable portion you will surely get the refund. For 2025 taxes (filed in early 2026), refunds for the CTC will likely start being sent out after February 15, 2026, because of the PATH Act.
It is expected that the direct deposit for the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit will be received to taxpayers most probably by last February 2025 or early March 2026. You should know that most of the refunds that are filed electronically are received within 21 days if there is no error on the refund.