The child tax credit is proving to be one of the most effective financial assistance tools in supporting low-income families. Thus, several states have come up with their own version of the child tax credit following the expiry of the federal extended child tax credit program in 2021. New York’s Empire State Child Tax Credit is one such program, offering eligible families up to $330 in New York child tax credit.
New York child tax credit: who will get it?
New York’s Empire State Child Tax Credit provides eligible families up to $330 per year per child between the ages of four and 16 (on December 31 of the tax year).
Households may qualify for the credit if they received at least $100 from the Empire State child credit and/or a New York State earned income credit in the tax year 2021. Also, the claimant must be a full-year New York State resident or married to a full-year resident, as well as have a qualifying child.
The claimant must also meet the income threshold to qualify for the credit. Married filers must earn $100,000 or less ($75,000 or less for single or head-of-household filers and $55,000 or less for married filing separately) to qualify for the New York child tax credit.
To claim the Empire State Child Tax Credit, parents must provide a valid individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) or Social Security number (SSN) for each child.
To claim the Empire State Child Tax Credit, you need to file Form IT-213 with your New York State income tax return.
A qualifying child for the purpose of the credit is:
The taxpayers’ child, sibling, half-sibling, foster child, stepchild, or any of their descendants, such as a grandchild.
A child who didn’t provide over half of their own support.
Child is aged four to 16 on December 31.
Lived with the claimant for more than six months in a year.
You claimed the child as a dependent on your federal income tax return.
Didn’t file a joint federal income tax return.
A citizen, national, or resident noncitizen of the U.S.
Empire State Child Tax Credit: how much money to expect
Talking about how much money to expect, the Empire State child credit amount is the greater of:
33% of the federal additional child tax credit and the federal child tax credit that is attributable to qualifying children, or
The number of qualifying children multiplied by $100.
In case the claimant didn’t claim the federal child tax credit but meets all other eligibility requirements for the Empire State Child Tax Credit, the amount of credit will be $100 multiplied by the number of qualifying children.
Also, if your or child’s SSN or ITIN was issued after the return due date, you could claim just $100 per qualifying child. If your New York child tax credit is more than your tax amount, the state will return the excess amount (without interest).
Visit the Department of Taxation and Finance website for more information on the Empire State Child Tax Credit.