How much of the child tax credit comes back as a refund: 15% of earnings over $2,500
Estimates only, not financial advice. What you type stays on your device. Checked against sources on 29 Sept 2026.The additional child tax credit is the refundable part of the child tax credit: the part paid to you even when you owe no income tax. For 2025 and 2026 it is capped at $1,700 per child and at 15% of your earned income above $2,500.
$3,985
$585 off your tax, $3,400 refundedFederal only. Does not include the three-or-more-children alternative based on social security tax. An estimate, not tax advice.
| 2 × $2,200 + 0 × $500 | $4,400 |
| Less $50 per $1,000 of MAGI over $200,000 | −$0 |
| Credit | $4,400 |
| Used against income tax of $585 | $585 |
| Refund: smallest of the unused $3,815, 2 × $1,700 = $3,400, and 15% × ($30,000 − $2,500) = $4,125 | $3,400 |
| Total benefit | $3,985 |
Rates and rules read from the sources listed on this page (the earliest on 29 Sept 2026); they may have changed since.
Filing status opens on Head of household; change it if you file another way.
Enter Children under 17 and your Earned income (wages, self-employment), since the refund is 15% of earnings over $2,500.
Leave Income tax before the credit on Estimate it, or enter your own figure.
Read Refundable (ACTC) and Cannot be used; the warning shows the earnings that would unlock a larger refund.
Enter your income, children and tax to see how much is refunded and how much of the $2,200 per child cannot be used.
This calculator follows the steps of Schedule 8812, the form that works out the federal child tax credit. Pick the tax year and filing status, enter the number of children under 17 and other dependents, your modified AGI and your earned income, and it shows the credit, the part that reduces your tax, the part refunded to you and any part you lose.
The amounts. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the credit permanent at $2,200 per child from 2025, and the inflation adjustment for 2026 kept it at $2,200. The refundable part, called the additional child tax credit, is up to $1,700 per child in both years. Dependents who do not qualify, such as a 17-year-old or a parent you support, give a $500 credit for other dependents, which is never refunded.
Why the refund can be smaller than the credit. The credit first cancels your income tax. What is left is refunded only up to $1,700 per child and only up to 15% of your earned income above $2,500. A family with little tax and low earnings can therefore lose part of the credit; the calculator shows how much.
The rest of the article, and all 6 questions about Child Tax Credit Calculator, are on the Child Tax Credit Calculator page.
The credit is $2,200 for each qualifying child under 17 at the end of 2026, the same as for 2025. Rev. Proc. 2025-32 set the 2026 figure after the inflation adjustment. Up to $1,700 of it per child can be refunded, and each other dependent adds a $500 credit that is not refundable.
Partly. The additional child tax credit refunds up to $1,700 per child for 2025 and 2026, but no more than 15% of your earned income above $2,500. With two children, earnings of about $25,167 unlock the full $3,400 refund. Any credit left after your tax is cancelled and the refund is paid is lost.
The reduction starts at $200,000 of modified AGI, or $400,000 for married couples filing jointly. For each $1,000 or part of $1,000 above that line, the credit falls by $50. Two children lose the whole $4,400 at $288,000 for a single filer, or $488,000 on a joint return.
Most of the credit only reduces income tax you owe; the refundable part has its own limits. Knowing your tax shows how much of the credit is used against it. By default the tool estimates the tax from your income with the standard deduction; type your own figure if you itemize or have other credits.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
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