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How do I qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit?
Q) How do I qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit?
A) According to the IRS – EITC, the Earned Income Tax Credit, sometimes called EIC is a tax credit to help you keep more of what you earned. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if you do not owe any tax or are not required to file.
To qualify for EITC you must have earned income from employment, self-employment or another source and meet certain rules. You must either meet the rules for workers without a qualifying child or have a child that meets all the qualifying child rules for you.
Because the IRS processes the first return it receives, if another person claims your dependent first, the IRS will reject your return. The IRS won’t tell you who claimed your dependent. But if you don’t suspect anyone who could have claimed the dependent, your dependent may be a victim of tax identity theft. You’ll need to take some steps to protect your right to claim the dependent and your refund if you don’t think that the other person was eligible to claim your dependent. First, double check that you meet all of the requirements to claim the dependent.
The IRS may delay your refund while the IRS looks into the issue, but you should still receive your refund. File a paper return. Note that when you file a paper return, it can take six to eight weeks for the IRS to process. This includes things like birth certificates and proof of identity, but also documents that show that your dependent lived with you at the same address for more than half of the year. This doesn’t mean that you can’t correct the situation. Don’t panic. The most important thing to remember is to prove with proper documentation that you are entitled to claim the dependent. Document your case as the IRS rules for claiming a dependent can get complicated.