Publication 3
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176264After you have figured your taxable income and tax liability,
you can determine if you are entitled to any tax credits. This publication
discusses the making work pay credit, first-time homebuyer credit, child tax
credit, earned income credit, and credit for excess social security tax
withheld. For information on other credits, see your tax form instructions.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238078You may be able to take this credit if you have earned income
from work. For purposes of this credit, your earned income includes any
nontaxable combat pay you received. In other words, even though the combat pay
is nontaxable, it is treated as earned income when you figure your making work
pay credit. You cannot take the credit if:
- Your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is $95,000 ($190,000
if married filing jointly) or more, or
- You can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return.
Even if the federal income tax withheld from your pay was reduced
because of this credit, you must claim the credit on your return to benefit from
it.
The credit is 6.2% of your earned income but cannot be more than
$400 ($800 if married filing jointly). The credit is reduced if your modified
AGI is more than $75,000 ($150,000 if married filing jointly).
To take the credit, complete Schedule M (Form 1040A or 1040)
and attach it to your Form 1040 or 1040A. Enter your credit on Form 1040, line
63, or Form 1040A, line 40. If you are filing Form 1040-EZ, you can take the
credit on line 8 of that form and do not have to file Schedule M.
For more information, see the Schedule M instructions (or the
instructions for Form 1040-EZ if you file that form).
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238079In general, you can claim this credit if:
- You bought your main home in the United States after 2008
and before May 1, 2010 (before October 1, 2010, if you entered into a written
binding contract before May 1, 2010, to purchase the property before July 1,
2010), and
- You (and your spouse if married) did not own any other main
home during the 3-year period ending on the date of purchase.
No credit is allowed for a home bought after April 30, 2010 (after
September 30, 2010, if you entered into a written binding contract before May 1,
2010, to purchase the property before July 1, 2010). However, if you (or your
spouse) are on qualified official extended duty outside the United States for at
least 90 days after 2008 and before May 1, 2010, you have an extra year to buy a
home and claim the credit. In other words, you must buy the home before May 1,
2011 (before July 1, 2011, if you entered into a written binding contract before
May 1, 2011).
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238080Even if you are not a first-time homebuyer, you may be able to
claim the credit if:
- You buy a main home in the United States after November 6,
2009, and before May 1, 2010 (before October 1, 2010, if you entered into a
written binding contract before May 1, 2010, to purchase the property before
July 1, 2010), and
- You (and, if you are married, your spouse) owned and used
the same home as your main home for any period of 5 consecutive years during the
8-year period ending on the date of purchase of the home described in (1).
If you (or your spouse) are on qualified official extended duty
outside the United States for at least 90 days after 2008 and before May 1,
2010, the above dates are extended to May 1, 2011, and July 1, 2011,
respectively.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238095Generally, the credit is the smaller of:
- $8,000 ($4,000 if married filing separately), or
- 10% of the purchase price of the home.
However, if the
Special rule for long-time residents of same main home
described earlier applies, the credit can be no more than $6,500 ($3,250 if
married filing separately).
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238096If you bought the home after 2008, you generally must repay the
credit if you dispose of the home or the home stops being your main home within
the 36-month period beginning on the purchase date. You repay the credit by
including it as additional tax on the return for the year the home stops being
your main home. If the home continues to be your main home for at least 36
months beginning on the purchase date, you do not have to repay any of the
credit.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238097The following are exceptions to the repayment rule.
- If you sell the home to someone who is not related to you,
the repayment in the year of sale is limited to the amount of gain on the sale.
When figuring the gain, reduce the adjusted basis of the home by the amount of
the credit.
- If the home is destroyed, condemned, or disposed of under
threat of condemnation, and you acquire a new main home within 2 years of the
event, you do not have to repay the credit.
- If, as part of a divorce settlement, the home is transferred
to a spouse or former spouse, the spouse who receives the home is responsible
for repaying the credit if required.
- If you die, repayment of the credit is not required. If you
file a joint return and then you die, your surviving spouse must repay his or
her half of the credit if required.
- If you are a member of the uniformed services, a member of
the Foreign Service, or an employee of the intelligence community and the home
is sold or stops being your main home after December 31, 2008, in connection
with Government orders received by you (or your spouse) for qualified official
extended duty service, you do not have to repay the credit. Qualified official
extended duty was defined earlier under
Sale of Home.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000247891Under the 2008 version of this credit, if you bought your home
in 2008 and you owned and used it as your main home for all of 2010, you
generally must begin repaying the credit (at least 1/15 of the credit you
claimed) with your 2010 tax return. If you disposed of the home or the home
ceased to be your main home in 2010, you generally must repay the entire amount
of any credit you claimed for the home. See Form 5405 and its instructions for
details.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238099To take the credit, complete Form 5405 and attach it to your
Form 1040. Enter your credit on Form 1040, line 67.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238100If you are required to repay the credit, complete Parts III and
IV of Form 5405. Attach the form to your Form 1040. Include the repayment on
Form 1040, line 59, and check box "c."
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000238101For more information, see Form 5405 and its instructions.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176265The child tax credit is a credit that may reduce your tax by
as much as $1,000 for each of your qualifying children.
The additional child tax credit is a credit you may be able to
take if you are not able to claim the full amount of the child tax credit.
 | The child tax credit is not the same as the credit for child
and dependent care expenses. See Publication 503 for information on the credit
for child and dependent care expenses. |
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176267A qualifying child for purposes of the child tax credit is a
child who:
- Is your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister,
stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, half sister, or a descendant of any of
them (for example, your grandchild, niece, or nephew),
- Was under age 17 at the end of 2010,
- Did not provide over half of his or her own support for 2010,
- Lived with you for more than half of 2010 (see
Exceptions to time lived with you, later),
- Is claimed as a dependent on your return,
- Does not file a joint return for the year (or files it only
as a claim for refund), and
- Was a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a U.S. resident alien.
If the child was adopted, see
Adopted child, later.
For each qualifying child you must check the box on Form 1040
or Form 1040A, line 6c, column (4).
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176270A child is considered to have lived with you for all of 2010
if the child was born or died in 2010 and your home was this child's home for
the entire time he or she was alive. Temporary absences by you or the child for
special circumstances, such as school, vacation, business, medical care,
military service, or detention in a juvenile facility, count as time the child
lived with you.
There are also exceptions for kidnapped children and children
of divorced or separated parents. For details, see Publication 501.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176271A special rule applies if your qualifying child is the qualifying
child of more than one person. For details, see Publication 501.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176272An adopted child is always treated as your own child. An adopted
child includes a child lawfully placed with you for legal adoption.
If you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national and your adopted child
lived with you as a member of your household all year, that child meets
condition (5) above to be a qualifying child for the child tax credit.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176273The maximum amount you can claim for the credit is $1,000 for
each qualifying child.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176274You must reduce your child tax credit if either (1) or (2), below,
applies.
- The amount on Form 1040, line 46, or Form 1040A, line 28,
is less than the credit. If the amount is zero, you cannot take this credit
because there is no tax to reduce. However, you may be able to take the
additional child tax credit. See
Additional Child Tax Credit, later.
- Your modified adjusted gross income (AGI) is more than the
amount shown below for your filing status.
- Married filing jointly — $110,000.
- Single, head of household,
or qualifying widow(er) — $75,000. - Married filing separately — $55,000.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176276For purposes of the child tax credit, your modified AGI is the
amount on Form 1040, line 38, or Form 1040A, line 22, plus the following amounts
that may apply to you.
- Any amount excluded from income because of the exclusion of
income from Puerto Rico.
- Any amount on line 45 or line 50 of Form 2555, Foreign Earned
Income.
- Any amount on line 18 of Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income
Exclusion.
- Any amount on line 15 of Form 4563, Exclusion of Income for
Bona Fide Residents of American Samoa.
If you do not have any of the above, your modified AGI is the
same as your AGI.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176277To claim the child tax credit, you must file Form 1040 or Form
1040A. For more information on the child tax credit, see the instructions for
Form 1040 or Form 1040A.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176278This credit is for certain individuals who get less than the
full amount of the child tax credit. The additional child tax credit may give
you a refund even if you do not owe any tax.
For more information, see the instructions for Form 1040 or Form
1040A, and Form 8812, Additional Child Tax Credit.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176279The earned income credit (EIC) is a credit for certain persons
who work. The credit reduces the amount of tax you owe (if any). It may also
give you a refund.
 | If you claim the EIC and it is later disallowed, you may
have to complete an additional form if you want to claim the credit in a
following year. See chapter 5 in Publication 596 for more information, including
how to claim the EIC after disallowance.
|
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176281If you have a
qualifying child
(defined later), you must meet all the following rules to claim the earned
income credit.
- You must have
earned income (defined later).
- Your earned income and adjusted gross income (AGI) must each
be less than:
- $43,352 ($48,362 for married filing jointly) if you have
three or more qualifying children, or
- $40,363 ($45,373 for married filing jointly) if you have
two qualifying children,
- $35,535 ($40,545 for married filing jointly) if you have
one qualifying child, or
- $13,460 ($18,470 for married filing jointly) if you do not
have a qualifying child.
- Your filing status cannot be married filing separately.
- You cannot be a qualifying child of another person. If filing
a joint return, your spouse also cannot be a qualifying child of another person.
- Your qualifying child cannot be used by more than one person
to claim the credit. If your qualifying child is the qualifying child of more
than one person, you must be the person who can treat the child as a qualifying
child. For details, see
Rule 9 in Publication 596.
- You cannot file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or Form
2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, to exclude income earned in foreign
countries, or to deduct or exclude a foreign housing amount. See Publication 54
for more information about these forms.
- You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year unless:
- You are married to a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, and
- You choose to be treated as a resident alien for the entire
year. If you need more information about making this choice, see
Resident Aliens, earlier.
- Your investment income must be $3,100 or less during the year.
For most people, investment income is taxable interest and dividends, tax-exempt
interest, and capital gain net income.
- You must have a valid social security number for yourself,
your spouse (if filing a joint return), and any qualifying child.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176285If you meet all these rules, fill out Schedule EIC and attach
it to either Form 1040 or Form 1040A.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176286Your child is a qualifying child if your child meets four tests.
The four tests are:
- Relationship,
- Age,
- Residency, and
- Joint return.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176287To be your qualifying child, a child must be your:
- Son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of
any of them (for example, your grandchild), or
- Brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister,
or a descendant of any of them (for example, your niece or nephew).
An adopted child is always treated as your own child. The term
"adopted child" includes a child who was lawfully placed with you for legal
adoption.
For the EIC, a person is your foster child if the child is placed
with you by an authorized placement agency or by judgement, decree, or other
order of any court of competent jurisdiction. An authorized placement agency
includes a state or local government agency. It also includes a tax-exempt
organization licensed by a state. In addition, it includes an Indian tribal
government or an organization authorized by an Indian tribal government to place
Indian children.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176288Your child must be:
- Under age 19 at the end of 2010 and younger than you (or your
spouse, if filing jointly),
- Under age 24 at the end of 2010, a full-time student, and
younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or
- Permanently and totally disabled at any time during 2010,
regardless of age.
A full-time student is a student who is enrolled for the number
of hours or courses the school considers to be full-time attendance.
To qualify as a student, your child must be, during some part
of each of any 5 calendar months during the calendar year:
- A full-time student at a school that has a regular teaching
staff, course of study, and regular student body at the school, or
- A student taking a full-time, on-farm training course given
by a school described in (1), or a state, county, or local government.
The 5 calendar months need not be consecutive.
A school can be an elementary school, junior or senior high school,
college, university, or technical, trade, or mechanical school. However,
on-the-job training courses, correspondence schools, and schools offering
courses only through the Internet do not count as schools for the EIC.
Students who work in co-op jobs in private industry as a part
of a school's regular course of classroom and practical training are considered
full-time students.
Your child is permanently and totally disabled if both of the
following apply.
- He or she cannot engage in any substantial gainful activity
because of a physical or mental condition.
- A doctor determines the condition has lasted or can be expected
to last continuously for at least a year or can lead to death.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176289Your child must have lived with you in the United States for
more than half of 2010.
The United States includes the 50 states and the District of
Columbia. It does not include Puerto Rico or U.S. possessions such as Guam.
U.S. military personnel stationed outside the United States on extended active
duty are considered to live in the United States during that duty period for
purposes of the EIC. Extended active duty means you are called or ordered to
duty for an indefinite period or for a period of more than 90 days. Once you
begin serving your extended active duty, you are still considered to have been
on extended active duty even if you do not serve more than 90 days.
A child who was born or died in 2010 is treated as having lived
with you for all of 2010 if your home was the child's home the entire time he or
she was alive in 2010.
Count time that you or your child is away from home on a temporary
absence due to a special circumstance as time the child lived with you.
A kidnapped child is treated as living with you for more than
half of the year if the child lived with you for more than half the part of the
year before the date of the kidnapping. The child must be presumed by law
enforcement authorities to have been kidnapped by someone who is not a member of
your family or your child's family. This treatment applies for all years until
the child is returned. However, the last year this treatment can apply is the
earlier of:
- The year there is a determination that the child is dead,
or
- The year the child would have reached age 18.
If your qualifying child has been kidnapped and meets these requirements,
enter "KC," instead of a number, on line 6 of Schedule EIC.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000236187To meet this test, the child cannot file a joint return for the
year (unless the joint return is filed only as a claim for refund).
Even if your child does not file a joint return, if your child
was married at the end of the year, he or she cannot be your qualifying child
unless:
- You can claim the child's exemption, or
- The reason you cannot claim the child's exemption is that
you gave that right to your child's other parent under the
Special rule for divorced or separated parents or parents
who live apart described in chapter 2 of Publication 596.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176290Your qualifying child must have a valid social security number
(SSN) unless the child was born and died in 2010. You cannot claim the EIC on
the basis of a qualifying child if:
- Your qualifying child's SSN is missing from your tax return
or is incorrect,
- Your qualifying child's social security card says "Not valid
for employment" and was issued for use in getting a federally funded benefit, or
- Instead of an SSN, your qualifying child has
- An individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), which
is issued to a noncitizen who cannot get an SSN, or
- An adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN), which
is issued to adopting parents who cannot get an SSN for the child being adopted
until the adoption is final.
If you have more than one qualifying child and only one has a
valid SSN, you can claim the EIC only on the basis of that one child.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176291For more information, see Publication 596.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176292If you do not have a qualifying child, you can take the credit
if you meet all the following rules.
- You must have
earned income (defined later).
- Your earned income and adjusted gross income must each be
less than $13,460 ($18,470 for married filing jointly).
- Your filing status cannot be married filing separately.
- You cannot be a qualifying child of another person. If filing
a joint return, your spouse also cannot be a qualifying child of another person.
- You must be at least age 25 but under age 65 at the end of
the year. If filing a joint return, either you or your spouse must be at least
age 25 but under age 65 at the end of the year.
- You cannot be claimed as a dependent by anyone else on that
person's return. If filing a joint return, your spouse also cannot be claimed as
a dependent by anyone else on that person's return.
- Your main home must be in the United States for more than
half the year. (U.S. military personnel stationed outside the United States on
extended active duty are considered to live in the United States.)
- You cannot file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or Form
2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
- You must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year unless:
- You are married to a U.S. citizen or a resident alien, and
- You choose to be treated as a resident alien for the entire
year.
- Your investment income must be $3,100 or less during the year.
For most people, investment income is taxable interest and dividends, tax-exempt
interest, and capital gain net income.
- You (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) must have
a valid social security number.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176294If you meet all of these rules, fill out the EIC worksheet in
your tax form instructions to figure the amount of your credit.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176295For more information, see Publication 596.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176296For purposes of the earned income credit, earned income includes
the following.
- Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay.
- Net earnings from self-employment.
- Gross income received as a statutory employee.
- Nontaxable combat pay if you elect to include it in earned
income. See
Nontaxable combat pay election, later.
For purposes of the earned income credit, earned income does
not include:
- Basic pay or special, bonus, or other incentive pay that is
subject to the combat zone exclusion (unless you make the
nontaxable combat pay election, described later),
- Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH),
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS),
- Any other nontaxable employee compensation,
- Interest and dividends,
- Social security and railroad retirement payments,
- Certain workfare payments,
- Pensions or annuities,
- Veterans' benefits (including VA rehabilitation payments),
- Workers' compensation,
- Unemployment compensation, or
- Alimony and child support.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176299You can elect to include your nontaxable combat pay in earned
income for the earned income credit. If you make the election, you must include
in earned income all nontaxable combat pay you received. If you are filing a
joint return and both you and your spouse received nontaxable combat pay, you
can each make your own election. The amount of your nontaxable combat pay should
be shown on your Form W-2 in box 12 with code Q. Electing to include nontaxable
combat pay in earned income may increase or decrease your EIC.
Figure the credit with and without your nontaxable combat pay
before making the election. Whether the election increases or decreases your EIC
depends on your total earned income, filing status, and number of qualifying
children. If your earned income without your combat pay is less than the amount
shown below for your number of children, you may benefit from electing to
include your nontaxable combat pay in earned income and you should figure the
credit both ways. If your earned income without your combat pay is equal to or
more than these amounts, you will not benefit from including your combat pay in
your earned income.
- $5,950 if you have no qualifying children.
- $8,950 if you have one qualifying child.
- $12,550 if you have two or more qualifying children.
The following examples illustrate the effect of including nontaxable
combat pay in earned income for the EIC.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176300Example 1—election increases the EIC.(p20)
George and Janice are married and will file a joint return. They
have one qualifying child. George was in the Army and earned $11,000 ($5,000
taxable wages + $6,000 nontaxable combat pay). Janice worked part of the year
and earned $2,000. Their taxable earned income and AGI are both $7,000. George
and Janice qualify for the earned income credit and fill out the Earned Income
Credit (EIC) Worksheet in the Form 1040A instructions and Schedule EIC.
When they complete the worksheet without adding the nontaxable
combat pay to their earned income, they find their credit to be $2,389. When
they complete the EIC worksheet with the nontaxable combat pay added to their
earned income, they find their credit to be $3,050. Because making the election
will increase their EIC, they elect to add the nontaxable combat pay to their
earned income for the EIC. They enter $3,050 on line 41a of their Form 1040A and
enter the amount of their nontaxable combat pay on line 41b.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176301Example 2—election does not increase the EIC.(p20)
The facts are the same as in Example 1 except George had nontaxable
combat pay of $20,000. When George and Janice add their nontaxable combat pay to
their earned income, they find their credit to be $2,161. Because the credit
they can get if they do not add the nontaxable combat pay to their earned income
is $2,389, they decide not to make the election. They enter $2,389 on line 41a
of their Form 1040A.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176302There are certain instructions you must follow before the IRS
can figure the credit for you. See
IRS Will Figure the EIC for You, in Publication 596.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176303If you received advance earned income credit payments in 2010,
you must file either Form 1040 or Form 1040A for 2010 to report the payments.
After 2010, there are no longer any advance earned income credit
payments.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176304Most employers must withhold social security tax from your wages.
If you worked for two or more employers in 2010 and you earned more than
$106,800, you may have had too much social security tax withheld. The maximum
amount of social security tax that should have been withheld for 2010 is
$6,621.60. You can claim the excess social security tax as a credit against your
income tax.
 | All wages are subject to Medicare tax withholding.
|
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176306If you work for a railroad employer, that employer must withhold
tier 1 railroad retirement (RRTA) tax and tier 2 RRTA tax. See
Excess Social Security or Railroad Retirement Tax Withholding in chapter 3 of Publication 505 for more information.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176307If any one employer withheld too much social security tax, you
cannot take the excess as a credit against your income tax. The employer should
adjust the tax for you. If the employer does not adjust the overcollection, you
can file a claim for refund using Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for
Abatement.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176308If you are filing a joint return, you cannot add the social security
tax withheld from your spouse's wages to the amount withheld from your wages.
Figure the withholding separately for you and your spouse to determine if either
of you has excess withholding.
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176309Figure the credit as follows:
| 1. | Add all social security tax withheld (but not more than $6,621.60
for each employer). Enter the total here | |
| 2. | Enter any uncollected social security tax on wages, tips,
or group-term life insurance included in the total on Form 1040, line 60
| |
| 3. | Add lines 1 and 2. If $6,621.60 or less, stop here. You cannot
take the credit | |
| 4. | Social security tax limit | 6,621.60 |
| 5. | Credit. Subtract line 4 from line 3. Enter the result here
and on Form 1040, line 69 (or Form 1040A, line 44) | |
taxmap/pubs/p3-006.htm#en_us_publink1000176311For Form 1040 filers, enter the credit on Form 1040, line 69.
For Form 1040A filers, follow the instructions for line 44.