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The Daily Insight

Does child have to live with you for child tax credit?

Author

Mia Ramsey

Published Mar 22, 2026

Do dependents have to live with you half the year? If you’re claiming the new child tax credit for your child, note that the child must live with you at least six months out of the year. There are exceptions to this rule, though, including temporary absences.

Does a dependent have to live with you to claim them?

That means that a person related to you doesn’t necessarily have to live with you in order for you to claim them as a dependent. This can be especially important for people supporting elderly parents who live somewhere else.

Can one parent claim the child and the other claim EIC?

Answer: If they otherwise meet all of the requirements to claim the earned income tax credit (EITC), unmarried parents with a qualifying child may choose which parent will claim the credit. One parent may claim the credit based on both children.

Can you get both earned income credit and child tax credit?

No. The child tax credit is a credit for having dependent children younger than age 17. The Earned Income Credit (EIC) is a credit for certain lower-income taxpayers, with or without children. If you’re eligible, you can claim both credits.

Who qualifies as a dependent in 2020?

The child can be your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, adopted child or an offspring of any of them. Do they meet the age requirement? Your child must be under age 19 or, if a full-time student, under age 24.

How old do you have to be to have dependents on your EIC?

You can qualify if you’re single or married, with or without dependent children. You just have to meet income and certain other requirements. Note that it’s only dependent children who can increase your EIC amount. The child has to be younger than age 19 at the end of the year, or age 24 if a student, or can be any age if disabled.

Do you have to be a dependent to get the earned income credit?

Generally, you don’t have to be entitled to claim the child as a dependent to claim the earned income credit based on the child being your qualifying child, because the support test for qualifying child as a dependent does not apply for the earned income credit.

What happens if both parents claim the EITC?

If both parents claim the same qualifying child for the EITC, but don’t file a joint return together, the IRS will apply tie-breaker rules and treat the child as the qualifying child of the parent with whom the child lives for the longer amount of time in the tax year.

Can a qualifying child be claimed as a dependent?

If your qualifying child is considered temporarily absent under the tax law, his time away from home – even if for the entire tax year — is deemed to be time he lives with you for the purpose of claiming him as a dependent.