Publication 596
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167200This chapter discusses Rules 1 through 7. You must meet all seven rules to qualify for the earned income credit. If you do not meet all seven rules, you cannot get the credit and you do not need to read the rest of the
publication.
If you meet all seven rules in this chapter, then read either chapter 2 or chapter 3 (whichever applies) for more rules you must
meet.
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Rule 1(p7) AGI limits
- $43,998 ($49,078 for married filing jointly) if you have three or more qualifying
children,
- $40,964 ($46,044 for married filing jointly) if you have two qualifying
children,
- $36,052 ($41,132 for married filing jointly) if you have one qualifying child,
or
- $13,660 ($18,740 for married filing jointly) if you do not have a qualifying
child.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167203AGI is the amount on line 4 of Form 1040EZ, line 22 of Form 1040A, or line 38 of Form
1040.
If your AGI is equal to or more than the applicable limit listed above, you cannot claim the EIC. You do not need to read the rest of this
publication.
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Example:(p7) AGI exceeds limit
Your AGI is $36,550, you are single, and you have one qualifying child. You cannot claim the EIC because your AGI is not less than $36,052. However, if your filing status was married filing jointly, you might be able to claim the EIC because your AGI is less than
$41,132.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167204If you are married, but qualify to file as head of household under special rules for married taxpayers living apart (see
Rule 3), and live in a state that has community property laws, your AGI includes that portion of both your and your spouse's wages that you are required to include in gross income. This is different from the community property rules that apply under
Rule 7.
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Rule 2(p7) Social security number (SSN)
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167207To claim the EIC, you (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) must have a valid SSN issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Any qualifying child listed on Schedule EIC also must have a valid SSN. (See
Rule 8 if you have a qualifying child.)
If your social security card (or your spouse's, if filing a joint return) says "Not valid for employment" and your SSN was issued so that you (or your spouse) could get a federally funded benefit, you cannot get the EIC. An example of a federally funded benefit is Medicaid. If you have a card with the legend "Not valid for employment" and your immigration status has changed so that you are now a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, ask the SSA for a new social security card without the legend. If you get the new card after you have already filed your return, you can file an amended return on Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, to claim the EIC.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167209If you were a U.S. citizen when you received your SSN, you have a valid
SSN.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167210If your social security card reads "Valid for work only with INS authorization" or "Valid for work only with DHS authorization," you have a valid
SSN.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167211If an SSN for you or your spouse is missing from your tax return or is incorrect, you may not get the
EIC.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167212You cannot get the EIC if, instead of an SSN, you (or your spouse, if filing a joint return) have an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). ITINs are issued by the Internal Revenue Service to noncitizens who cannot get an
SSN.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167213If you do not have a valid SSN, put "No" next to line 64a (Form 1040), line 38a (Form 1040A), or line 8a (Form 1040EZ). You cannot claim the
EIC.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167214If you (or your spouse, if filing a joint return) do not have an SSN, you can apply for one by filing Form SS-5 with the SSA. You can get Form SS-5 online at
www.socialsecurity.gov, from your local SSA office, or by calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
If the filing deadline is approaching and you still do not have an SSN, you have two choices.
- Request an automatic 6-month extension of time to file your return. You can get this extension by filing Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. For more information, see the instructions for Form
4868.
- File the return on time without claiming the EIC. After receiving the SSN, file an amended return, Form 1040X, claiming the EIC. Attach a filled-in Schedule EIC, Earned Income Credit, if you have a qualifying
child.
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Rule 3(p8) Married person's filing status
If you are married, you usually must file a joint return to claim the EIC. Your filing status cannot be "Married filing
separately."
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167217If you are married and your spouse did not live in your home at any time during the last 6 months of the year, you may be able to file as head of household, instead of married filing separately. In that case, you may be able to claim the EIC. For detailed information about filing as head of household, see Publication
501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.
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Rule 4(p8) Nonresident alien
If you (or your spouse, if married) were a nonresident alien for any part of the year, you cannot claim the earned income credit unless your filing status is married filing jointly. You can use that filing status only if one spouse is a U.S. citizen or resident alien and you choose to treat the nonresident spouse as a U.S. resident. If you make this choice, you and your spouse are taxed on your worldwide income. If you need more information on making this choice, get Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens. If you (or your spouse, if married) were a nonresident alien for any part of the year and your filing status is not married filing jointly, enter "No" on the dotted line next to line 64a (Form 1040) or in the space to the left of line 38a (Form 1040A).
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Rule 5(p9) Foreign earned income
You cannot claim the earned income credit if you file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. You file these forms to exclude income earned in foreign countries from your gross income, or to deduct or exclude a foreign housing amount. U.S. possessions are not foreign countries. See Publication
54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad, for more detailed
information.
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Rule 6(p9) Investment income
You cannot claim the earned income credit unless your investment income is $3,150 or less. If your investment income is more than $3,150, you cannot claim the credit.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167221If you file Form 1040EZ, your investment income is the total of the amount on line 2 and the amount of any tax-exempt interest you wrote to the right of the words "Form 1040EZ" on line
2.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167222If you file Form 1040A, your investment income is the total of the amounts on lines 8a (taxable interest), 8b (tax-exempt interest), 9a (ordinary dividends), and 10 (capital gain distributions) on that
form.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167223If you file Form 1040, use Worksheet 1 in this chapter to figure your investment
income.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167224 | Worksheet 1. Investment Income If You Are Filing Form
1040  Use this worksheet to figure investment income for the earned income credit when you file Form
1040.
| Interest and Dividends | | | | | | 1. | Enter any amount from Form 1040, line 8a.
| 1. | | | 2. | Enter any amount from Form 1040, line 8b, plus any amount on Form 8814, line
1b. | 2. | | | 3. | Enter any amount from Form 1040, line 9a. | 3. | | | 4. | Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 21, that is from Form 8814 if you are filing that form to report your child's interest and dividend income on your return. (If your child received an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend, use Worksheet 2 in this chapter to figure the amount to enter on this line.)
| 4. | | | Capital Gain Net Income | | | | | | 5. | Enter the amount from Form 1040, line 13. If the amount on that line is a loss, enter
-0-. | 5. | | | | | 6. | Enter any gain from Form 4797, Sales of Business Property, line 7. If the amount on that line is a loss, enter -0-. (But, if you completed lines 8 and 9 of Form 4797, enter the amount from line 9 instead.)
| 6. | | | | | 7. | Subtract line 6 of this worksheet from line 5 of this worksheet. (If the result is less than zero, enter
-0-.) | 7. | | | Royalties and Rental Income from Personal Property | | | | | | 8. | Enter any royalty income from Schedule E, line 23d, plus any income from the rental of personal property shown on Form 1040, line 21.
| 8. | | | | | 9. | Enter any expenses from Schedule E, line 20, related to royalty income, plus any expenses from the rental of personal property deducted on Form 1040, line 36.
| 9. | | | | | 10. | Subtract the amount on line 9 of this worksheet from the amount on line 8. (If the result is less than zero, enter
-0-.) | 10. | | | Passive Activities
| | | | | | 11. | Enter the total of any net income from passive activities (such as income included on Schedule E, line 26, 29a (col. (g)), 34a (col. (d)), or 40). (See instructions below for lines 11 and 12.)
| 11. | | | | | 12. | Enter the total of any losses from passive activities (such as losses included on Schedule E, line 26, 29b (col. (f)), 34b (col. (c)), or 40). (See instructions below for lines 11 and 12.)
| 12. | | | | | 13. | Combine the amounts on lines 11 and 12 of this worksheet. (If the result is less than zero, enter
-0-.) | 13. | | | 14. | Add the amounts on lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 13. Enter the total. This is your Investment
Income. | 14. | | | 15. | Is the amount on line 14 more than $3,150?
□ Yes. You cannot take the credit.
□ No. Go to
Step 3
of the Form 1040 instructions for lines 64a and 64b to find out if you can take
the credit (unless you are using this publication to find out if you can take
the credit; in that case, go to
Rule 7, next).
| | | Instructions for lines 11 and 12. In figuring the amount to enter on lines 11 and 12, do not take into account any royalty income (or loss) included on line 26 of Schedule E or any amount included in your earned income. To find out if the income on line 26 or line 40 of Schedule E is from a passive activity, see the Schedule E instructions. If any of the rental real estate income (or loss) included on Schedule E, line 26, is not from a passive activity, print "NPA" and the amount of that income (or loss) on the dotted line next to line 26.
|
|
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167226 | Worksheet 2. Worksheet for Line 4 of Worksheet 1
Complete this worksheet only if Form 8814 includes an Alaska Permanent Fund
dividend.
| Note. Fill out a separate Worksheet 2 for each Form 8814.
| | | | 1. | Enter the amount from Form 8814, line 2a. | 1. | | | 2. | Enter the amount from Form 8814, line 2b. | 2. | | | 3. | Subtract line 2 from line 1. | 3. | | | 4. | Enter the amount from Form 8814, line 1a. | 4. | | | 5. | Add lines 3 and 4. | 5. | | | 6. | Enter the amount of the child's Alaska Permanent Fund
dividend. | 6. | | | 7. | Divide line 6 by line 5. Enter the result as a decimal (rounded to at least three
places). |
7.
| | | 8. | Enter the amount from Form 8814, line 12. | 8. | | | 9. | Multiply line 7 by line 8. | 9. | | | 10. | Subtract line 9 from line 8. Enter the result on line 4 of
Worksheet 1.
|
10.
| | | | (If filing more than one Form 8814, enter on line 4 of Worksheet 1 the total of the amounts on line 10 of all Worksheets 2.)
| | |
|
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink100023334Your 10-year-old child has taxable interest income of $400, an Alaska Permanent Fund dividend of $1,000, and ordinary dividends of $1,100, of which $500 are qualified dividends. You choose to report this income on your return. You enter $400 on line 1a of Form 8814, $2,100 ($1,000 + $1,100) on line 2a, and $500 on line 2b. After completing lines 4 through 11, you enter $480 on line 12 of Form 8814 and line 21 of Form 1040. On Worksheet 2, you enter $2,100 on line 1, $500 on line 2, $1,600 on line 3, $400 on line 4, $2,000 on line 5, $1,000 on line 6, 0.500 on line 7, $480 on line 8, $240 on line 9, and $240 on line 10. You then enter $240 on line 4 of Worksheet
1.
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Rule 7(p11) Earned income
This credit is called the "earned income" credit because, to qualify, you must work and have earned income. If you are married and file a joint return, you meet this rule if at least one spouse works and has earned income. If you are an employee, earned income includes all the taxable income you get from your
employer.
Rule 15
has information that will help you figure the amount of your earned income. If
you are self-employed or a statutory employee, you will figure your earned
income on EIC Worksheet B in the Form 1040 instructions.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167229 Earned income includes all of the following types of income.
- Wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee pay. Employee pay is earned income only if it is taxable. Nontaxable employee pay, such as certain dependent care benefits and adoption benefits, is not earned income. But there is an exception for nontaxable combat pay, which you can choose to include in earned income, as explained later in this
chapter.
- Net earnings from self-employment.
- Gross income received as a statutory employee.
Wages, salaries, and tips you receive for working are reported to you on Form
W-2, in box 1. You should report these on line 1 (Form 1040EZ) or line 7 (Forms
1040A and 1040).
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167231You can elect to include your nontaxable combat pay in earned income for the earned income credit. 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. For details, see
Nontaxable combat pay in chapter 4.
You may have net earnings from self-employment if:
- You own your business, or
- You are a minister or member of a religious order.
The rental value of a home or a housing allowance provided to a minister as part of the minister's pay generally is not subject to income tax but is included in net earnings from self-employment. For that reason, it is included in earned income for the EIC (except in the cases described in
Approved Form 4361 or Form 4029, below). See
Example 4 in chapter 6.
You are a statutory employee if you receive a Form W-2 on which the "Statutory employee" box (box 13) is checked. You report your income and expenses as a statutory employee on Schedule C or C-EZ (Form 1040).
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167237Strike benefits paid by a union to its members are earned income.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167238This section is for persons who have an approved:
- Form 4361, Application for Exemption From Self-Employment Tax for Use by Ministers, Members of Religious Orders and Christian Science Practitioners,
or
- Form 4029, Application for Exemption From Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Waiver of
Benefits.
Each approved form exempts certain income from social security taxes. Each form is discussed here in terms of what is or is not earned income for the
EIC.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167239Even if you have an approved Form 4361, amounts you received for performing ministerial duties as an employee count as earned income. This includes wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee compensation. A nontaxable housing allowance or the nontaxable rental value of a home is not earned income. Also, amounts you received for performing ministerial duties, but not as an employee, do not count as earned income. Examples include fees for performing marriages and honoraria for delivering
speeches.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167240Even if you have an approved Form 4029, all wages, salaries, tips, and other taxable employee compensation count as earned income. However, amounts you received as a self-employed individual do not count as earned income. Also, in figuring earned income, do not subtract losses on Schedule C, C-EZ, or F from wages on line 7 of Form 1040.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167241If you retired on disability, taxable benefits you receive under your employer's disability retirement plan are considered earned income until you reach minimum retirement age. Minimum retirement age generally is the earliest age at which you could have received a pension or annuity if you were not disabled. You must report your taxable disability payments on line 7 of either Form 1040 or Form 1040A until you reach minimum retirement
age.
Beginning on the day after you reach minimum retirement age, payments you receive are taxable as a pension and are not considered earned income. Report taxable pension payments on Form 1040, lines 16a and 16b, or Form 1040A, lines 12a and 12b.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167242Payments you received from a disability insurance policy that you paid the premiums for are not earned income. It does not matter whether you have reached minimum retirement age. If this policy is through your employer, the amount may be shown in box 12 of your Form W-2 with code
"J."
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167243 Examples of items that are
not
earned income include interest and dividends, pensions and annuities, social
security and railroad retirement benefits (including disability benefits),
alimony and child support, welfare benefits, workers' compensation benefits,
unemployment compensation (insurance), nontaxable foster care payments, and
veterans' benefits, including VA rehabilitation payments. Do
not include any of these items in your earned income.
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Amounts received for work performed while an inmate in a penal institution are
not earned income when figuring the earned income credit. This includes amounts
for work performed while in a work release program or while in a halfway house.
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Nontaxable workfare payments are not earned income for the EIC. These are cash
payments certain people receive from a state or local agency that administers
public assistance programs funded under the federal Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) program in return for certain work activities such as (1)
work experience activities (including remodeling or repairing public housing) if
sufficient private sector employment is not available, or (2) community service
program activities.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167246If you are married, but qualify to file as head of household under special rules for married taxpayers living apart (see
Rule 3), and live in a state that has community property laws, your earned income for the EIC does not include any amount earned by your spouse that is treated as belonging to you under those laws. That amount is not earned income for the EIC, even though you must include it in your gross income on your income tax return. Your earned income includes the entire amount you earned, even if part of it is treated as belonging to your spouse under your state's community property
laws.
If you are a registered domestic partner in Nevada, Washington, or California (or a same-sex spouse in California), the same rules apply. Your earned income for the EIC does not include any amount earned by your partner (or same-sex spouse). Your earned income includes the entire amount you earned. For details, see Publication
555 and the recent developments at
www.irs.gov/pub555.
If you were receiving social security retirement benefits or social security disability benefits at the time you received any CRP payments, your CRP payments are not earned income for the
EIC.
taxmap/wpubs/p596-006.htm#en_us_publink1000167249Nontaxable pay for members of the Armed Forces is not considered earned income for the EIC. Examples of nontaxable military pay are combat pay, the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and the Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS). See Publication
3, Armed Forces' Tax Guide, for more information.
 | Combat pay.
You can elect to include your nontaxable combat pay in earned income for the
EIC. See Nontaxable combat pay in chapter 4. |
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