In a Nutshell: Who Qualifies for the Earned Income Credit

The IRS Earned Income Tax Credit topic page sums up nicely who qualifies for the Earned Income Credit :

You may qualify for the earned income tax credit (EITC), if you worked last year, but did not earn a lot of money.  EITC is a refundable tax credit meaning you could qualify for a tax refund even if you did not have federal income tax withheld.

To qualify for the credit your adjusted gross income (AGI) must be below a certain amount and you must:

• Have a valid Social Security Number (if you are filing a joint return, your spouse also must have a valid Social Security Number)
• Have earned income from employment or from self-employment
• Have a filing status other than married filing separately
• Be a U.S. citizen or resident alien all year, or a nonresident alien married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien and filing a joint return
• Not be a qualifying child of another person (if you are filing a joint return, your spouse also cannot be a qualifying child of another person)
• Not have investment income over a certain amount
• Not file Form 2555 (PDF) or Form 2555-EZhttp://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2555ez.pdf (PDF) (related to foreign earned income), and
• Have a qualifying child who meets four tests (the age, relationship, residency and joint return tests) or:
  • be age 25 but under 65 at the end of the year
  • live in the United States for more than half the year, and
  • not qualify as a dependent of another person

If you qualify, the amount of your EITC will depend on your filing status, whether you have children, the number of children you have, and the amount of your wages and income last year.

Income (AGI)  limits are as follows for the 2013 tax year:

• $46,227 ($51,567 for married filing jointly) if you have three or more qualifying children,
• $43,038 ($48,378 for married filing jointly) if you have two qualifying children,
• $37,870 ($43,210 for married filing jointly) if you have one qualifying child, or
• $14,340 ($19,680 for married filing jointly) if you do not have a qualifying child

For more information check out Publication 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC)