What if I don’t have any income, or only income from benefits programs (like SSI, SNAP, TANF, or WIC)?

There is no minimum income required to get the Child Tax Credit for tax year 2021. Even if your family has $0 in reported income and didn’t work during the previous year, you can still be eligible for the full Child Tax Credit as long as you have a child who has a Social Security Number and was younger than 17 at the end of 2020.

If your only income was from benefits programs, we recommend that you use GetCTC, a simplified tax filing portal to receive cash benefits for your family.

If you earned income from a benefits program and also some income from working, you have the option to file a full tax return in order to receive the additional benefits that you may qualify for.