IRS refund: Income Tax credit of $3,900 coming into your account. Who will get and when?

IRS tax season is underway and if you paid more through the year than you owe in tax, due to withholding or other reasons, you should get money back. Even if you didn’t pay excess tax, you may still get a refund if you qualify for a refundable credit, like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) or Child Tax Credit. To get your refund, you must file a return, and you have three years to claim a tax refund.

Income Tax Credit

To qualify for the EITC, you must have under $11,950 in investment income and earn less than a specific income level from working.


If you’re single with no children, your income level must be $19,104 or below. And if you’re married filing jointly with three or more children, you must make $68,675 or below. To determine if your household qualifies based on your marital status and your number of dependents you can use the online EITC Assistant tool.

Who qualifies for the Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit

If you have a child, you are most likely eligible for the Child Tax Credit. The credit is up to $2,200 per qualifying child. To qualify, a child must:

— Have a Social Security number

— Be under age 17 at the end of 2025

— Be your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of one of these (for example, a grandchild, niece or nephew)

— Not provide more than half of his or her own support for the tax year

— Have lived with you for more than half the tax year

— Be claimed as a dependent on your tax return

— Not file a joint return for the year (or filed the joint return only to claim a refund of taxes withheld or estimated taxes)

— Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or a U.S. resident alien

You qualify for the full amount of the Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child if you meet all eligibility factors and your annual income is not more than $200,000 ($400,000 if filing a joint return).

You qualify for the Additional Child Tax Credit ($1,700 per qualifying child) if you meet these factors and have little or no federal income tax liability. You must have earned income of at least $2,500 to be eligible for the ACTC.

When will Tax Credits become Available?

The IRS expects most refunds for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit to be available in bank accounts or on debit cards by March 2 for taxpayers who choose direct deposit. Some taxpayers may receive their refund earlier, depending on their financial institution.

This year, most taxpayers must provide their routing and account numbers to receive refunds directly deposited into their bank accounts. That's because the IRS began phasing out paper tax refund checks on September 30 in accordance with an executive order.