EITC and Child Tax Credit: What to Know for the 2026 Filing Season
Tax season is one of the biggest — and most overlooked — benefit windows of the year. The IRS estimates that a meaningful share of eligible workers skip the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) simply because they don't realize they qualify, particularly workers without children, recent divorcees, and people whose income dropped during the year.
The EITC is a refundable credit, meaning it can increase your refund even if you owe no tax, with the amount scaled to income, filing status, and number of qualifying children. The Child Tax Credit works similarly for households with children under 18, and is also partially refundable for lower-income families.
Free help is available for filing correctly: IRS-backed Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs prepare returns at no cost for qualifying households, and can help make sure credits aren't left unclaimed.
If you're not sure whether you qualify for the EITC, the Child Tax Credit, or other programs tied to income and household size, the Benefit Trim Score screens for both alongside 18 other federal and state programs.