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Child Tax Credit Calculator

Calculate your Child Tax Credit (CTC) for 2024. Estimate refundable & non-refundable credits based on income, filing status, and dependents.

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Category Taxes & Contributions
Wages, salaries, self-employment income
From Form 1040, line 16 minus other credits
Dependents

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About

The Child Tax Credit under IRC §24 provides up to $2,000 per qualifying child under age 17 at the end of the tax year. Miscalculating Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) thresholds or misapplying the phase-out reduction leads to either overpayment penalties or forfeited refunds. The credit phases out at a rate of $50 per $1,000 (or fraction thereof) of MAGI exceeding $200,000 for single filers or $400,000 for married filing jointly. The refundable portion, the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC), is capped at $1,700 per child for tax year 2024 and requires earned income above $2,500.

This calculator applies the exact IRS phase-out arithmetic including the ceiling-function rounding rule on excess income brackets. It separates nonrefundable from refundable amounts so you can estimate both your tax liability offset and your potential refund. Dependents aged 17 or older qualify only for the $500 Other Dependents Credit (ODC), which is nonrefundable. Note: this tool assumes standard CTC eligibility requirements are met (SSN, residency, relationship tests) and does not account for Alternative Minimum Tax interactions.

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Formulas

The total Child Tax Credit before phase-out equals the sum of credits for qualifying children and other dependents:

CTCgross = nchild × $2,000 + nother × $500

The phase-out reduction uses ceiling-rounded income brackets:

R = $50 × ⌈ max(0, MAGI − T)$1,000 ⌉

The net credit after phase-out:

CTCnet = max(0, CTCgross − R)

The refundable Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) is the lesser of two values:

ACTC = min(nchild × $1,700, 0.15 × max(0, EI − $2,500))

Where: nchild = number of qualifying children under 17. nother = number of other dependents aged 17+. MAGI = Modified Adjusted Gross Income. T = phase-out threshold ($200,000 or $400,000). R = phase-out reduction amount. EI = earned income (wages, self-employment). ACTC cannot exceed the child-portion of CTCnet.

Reference Data

Filing StatusPhase-Out ThresholdFull Elimination (1 Child)Full Elimination (2 Children)Full Elimination (3 Children)
Single / Head of Household$200,000$240,000$280,000$320,000
Married Filing Jointly$400,000$440,000$480,000$520,000
Married Filing Separately$200,000$240,000$280,000$320,000
Credit Amounts by Dependent Type (2024)
Qualifying Child (under 17)$2,000 per child (up to $1,700 refundable as ACTC)
Other Dependent (17+)$500 per dependent (nonrefundable ODC)
ACTC Refundability Rules
Earned Income Floor$2,500
Earned Income Factor15% of earned income above floor
Max Refundable per Child$1,700 (2024)
Phase-Out Rate
Reduction per $1,000 excess$50 (ceiling-rounded brackets)
Historical CTC Amounts
2017 and prior$1,000 per child
2018-2020 (TCJA)$2,000 per child, $1,400 refundable
2021 (ARP, temporary)$3,600 (under 6) / $3,000 (6-17), fully refundable
2022-2023$2,000 per child, $1,500 - $1,600 refundable
2024$2,000 per child, $1,700 refundable

Frequently Asked Questions

The IRS rounds excess income over the threshold UP to the next $1,000 increment before applying the $50 reduction. If your MAGI exceeds the threshold by $200,001 − $200,000 = $1, the excess is rounded to $1,000, producing a $50 reduction. At $1,001 excess, it rounds to $2,000 for a $100 reduction. This ceiling function means even $1 over a bracket boundary triggers the next $50 decrement.
The nonrefundable portion can only reduce your federal tax liability to zero - it cannot generate a refund. The ACTC (Additional Child Tax Credit) is the refundable portion: if your CTC exceeds your tax liability, the excess (up to $1,700 per qualifying child for 2024) can be refunded to you, provided you have earned income above $2,500. The refundable amount equals 15% of earned income above $2,500, capped at $1,700 per qualifying child.
No. The qualifying age test is applied as of December 31 of the tax year. A child who turns 17 at any point during the year is 17 on December 31 and therefore does not qualify for the $2,000 CTC. They may qualify for the $500 Other Dependents Credit (ODC) instead, which is entirely nonrefundable.
Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) receives a $400,000 threshold. All other statuses - Single, Head of Household, Married Filing Separately, and Qualifying Surviving Spouse - use the $200,000 threshold. Notably, Head of Household does NOT receive the higher MFJ threshold despite being a more favorable status in other tax contexts.
No. The $500 ODC for dependents aged 17 and older is entirely nonrefundable. It can only offset tax liability. It is also subject to the same phase-out rules as the CTC - the $50 per $1,000 reduction applies to the combined total of CTC and ODC credits.
If earned income is at or below $2,500, the ACTC refundable amount is zero regardless of how many qualifying children you have. The 15% factor applies only to earned income exceeding the $2,500 floor. With earned income of exactly $2,500, the calculation yields 15% × $0 = $0 refundable. You may still claim the nonrefundable portion against tax liability.
For taxpayers with three or more qualifying children, an alternative ACTC computation exists: the excess of Social Security taxes paid over the Earned Income Credit. This calculator uses the standard 15% earned-income method, which is the more common path. Taxpayers with three or more children and significant payroll tax exposure should consult IRS Form 8812 Schedule for the alternative calculation.