In the US, the EITC is a financial assistance providing program to the qualifying low-to moderate-income individuals and families. Eligible individuals will be able to utilize the credit amount to lessen the taxes they owe and increase their tax refund amount.
To apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), you need to be eligible for the credit and file a federal income tax return in 2025.
For the tax year 2024 (for which the tax return will be filed in 2025), the EITC amounts will be $632, $4,213, $6,960 and $7,830. Whereas for the tax year 2025 (for which the annual tax return will be filed in 2026) the credit amounts will be $649, $4,328, $7,152 and $8,046.
How much is the EITC for 2025?
For the tax year 2024 (for which tax returns are going to be filed in 2025), the earned income credit amounts will be between $632 to $7,830. The exact EITC payout amount for 2025 depends on individuals filing status and the total number of children are listed in the below table.
| Number of children | Maximum earned income tax credit amount |
| 0 | $632 |
| 1 | $4,213 |
| 2 | $6,960 |
| 3 or more | $7,830 |
What are the EITC income limits for 2025?
Whereas individuals adjusted gross income (AGI) is actually their earned income after subtracting certain deductions. In 2024 (for which the tax return filing season will begin in 2025) the income limit depends on individuals filing status and the total number of children are listed in the below table.
| Number of Children | For single, head of household, widowed and married couples filing separately | For married couples filing jointly |
| 0 | $18,591 | $25,511 |
| 1 | $49,084 | $56,004 |
| 2 | $55,768 | $62,688 |
| 3 or more | $59,899 | $66,819 |
Who is eligible for EITC In 2025?
To get the benefit amount from earned income tax credit (EITC), individuals must satisfy the eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements of EITC for 2025 are listed below.
- To qualify, claimants need to be a permanent resident or citizen of the United States.
- Applicants must have at least $1 as an earned income.
- Individuals’ investment income needs to be at least $11,600 in 2024 (for which tax return will be filed in 2025). The investment income limit of EITC will increase to $11,950 in 2025 (for which Income tax return will be filed in 2026 tax year).
- Candidates who don’t have any qualifying children need to be at least 25 years of age but you do not need to be older than 65 years of age.
- Claimants should not fill out the Form 2555 (Foreign Earned Income form) and Form 2555-EZ (Foreign Earned Income Exclusion form) while filing their tax return in 2025.
- To qualify, you need to have more than one qualifying child. But if you don’t have any qualifying child but satisfy the income and other qualifying requirements, you will be eligible for EITC.
- The qualifying child must be at least 18 years old at the end of the qualifying tax year. If the child was a full time student they need to be at least 24 years of age.
- To qualify, a child needs to live with you or your partner in the United States for at least six months.
- The child can be claimants biological, adopted, step, foster or grandchild. The child also can be a taxpayer’s sibling, stepsibling, or half sibling and any from their children.
How and when will you get your EITC for 2025?
The exact payout date if earned income tax credit (EITC) is not known yet but if the taxpayers claim their earned income credit on their annual income tax return, the IRS will not deliver their credit amount before the mid-February by law.
According to the IRS, in 2025 the earned income tax credit amounts will be directly delivered in individuals bank accounts and on debit cards before February 27, if taxpayers select a direct or bank deposit payout delivery method and there are no other issues with their submitted tax return form details.