Choose the tax year, your filing status and number of qualifying children, and enter your earned income to see your earned income tax credit from the IRS EIC Table, where you are on the phase-in, plateau or phase-out, and what the credit would be with more or fewer children.
How to use the EITC calculator
- Pick the tax year: 2026 for the return you file in 2027, or 2025 for the one filed in 2026.
- Choose your filing status and the number of qualifying children, then enter your wages, tips and net self-employment earnings.
- If your AGI is different or you have investment income, add them, then read the credit and the chart.
Worked example
A single parent with one qualifying child earns $30,000 in 2026. That's past the $23,890 point where the credit starts to fall, so the EIC Table row for $30,000 to $30,050 gives $4,427 − 15.98% × ($30,025 − $23,890) = $3,447. With two children the same income gets $6,024; for 2025 the one-child credit at this income was $3,261. A married couple filing jointly with one child keeps the full $4,427, because their phase-out starts at $31,160.
2026 EITC figures
- No children: up to $664 (7.65%), ends at $19,540 ($26,820 joint)
- One child: up to $4,427 (34%), ends at $51,593 ($58,863 joint)
- Two children: up to $7,316 (40%), ends at $58,629 ($65,899 joint)
- Three or more: up to $8,231 (45%), ends at $62,974 ($70,244 joint)
- Investment income limit: $12,200
Sources: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (2026) and 2024-40 (2025), Internal Revenue Code section 32, IRS Publication 596. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the EITC for 2026?
Up to $664 with no qualifying children, $4,427 with one, $7,316 with two and $8,231 with three or more. The credit ends at $19,540, $51,593, $58,629 and $62,974 of income ($26,820, $58,863, $65,899 and $70,244 married filing jointly). For 2025 the maximums were $649, $4,328, $7,152 and $8,046.
How is the credit worked out?
It rises with earned income at 7.65%, 34%, 40% or 45% (0, 1, 2, 3+ children) until it reaches the maximum, stays there, then falls by 7.65%, 15.98% or 21.06% of each dollar of income above a threshold. The IRS publishes it as a table in $50 rows; the calculator reads the same table, and if your AGI differs from your earned income and is over the threshold, you get the smaller of the two credits.
Who can claim the EITC?
You need earned income, investment income of $12,200 or less for 2026 ($11,950 for 2025), and a Social Security number valid for employment for you, your spouse if filing jointly and each qualifying child. Without a qualifying child you must be 25 to 64 at the end of the year, live in the US for more than half the year, and not be claimed as someone else's dependent.
Who counts as a qualifying child?
Your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister or a descendant of one of them, who is under 19 at the end of the year (under 24 if a full-time student, any age if permanently disabled), younger than you, and who lived with you in the US for more than half the year.
Can I claim it if I'm married filing separately?
Yes, if you and your spouse didn't live together for the last 6 months of the year or are legally separated under a written agreement or decree. Otherwise, married couples need to file jointly to claim the EITC.
When will I get a refund that includes the EITC?
By law the IRS can't issue refunds that claim the EITC or the additional child tax credit before mid-February, so the whole refund waits, not just the credit. Federal tax refunds also don't count as income for federal benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid, nor as a resource for 12 months.
