FREE CHILD TAX CREDIT 2024 CALCULATOR

ESTIMATE YOUR CHILD TAX REFUND

The Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refund for US citizens living abroad. See how much you can claim from our US Child Tax Credit Calculator.

You don’t need to have lived in the US or paid any US tax to qualify.

Published on January 10, 2020
Updated on March 04, 2025

Written by: Clark Stott

Reviewed by: Aya Takriti

CALCULATOR

Check Your Eligibility

Do I qualify for a refund?

Taxpayer

For the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC) refund, you’ll need to be earning an income outside of the United States, either from an employer or self-employment.

You can’t file Form 2555 and qualify for the refund because you’ll be automatically excluded. Contact us, and we will look at alternative filing options for you, such as filing using the Foreign Tax C

Your dependents

Your dependents (children) must be 16 years old or younger for the entirety of the year you are claiming for. They must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN) and hold US citizenship. Their SSN must have been issued before the tax return filing deadline, including any valid extensions.

Self-employed

If you’re self-employed, you must also have made contributions to your host country’s social security equivalent, such as National Insurance in the UK.

The conditions above assume you are filing from a high-income tax country such as the UK, Australia, NZ, or Canada. However, many other countries are also valid, including almost all EU countries.

FAQS

What if I’ve already filed?
What if I already filed using the FEIE / Form 2555?

It’s generally not a problem as long as you haven’t revoked your right to file Form 2555 in the past five years. We will file an amended tax return with the correct changes in order to claim the credit. If you’re living in a high-tax country such as the UK, Canada, Australia/NZ, and a host of EU countries, we can switch your filing across to Foreign Tax Credit.
How can I be sure I’m eligible?
Can you deduct your fees from the refund?
Risk-free refund

In the event that the IRS did not issue a refund or only issued part of the refund due to a calculation or tax return preparation error on our part, you may be eligible to have Paid Fees refunded to you, in part, or in full.

However, if any part of a refund goes to a third party or a US government office for additional fees, it counts as issued, and no refund of fees will be given.

Please note that the IRS can issue your refund to cover outstanding debts, such as a US student loan that has not been repaid and is defaulted.
How do I claim the refund?
Do I need to file a US federal tax return?
Overall, US citizens and Green Card holders are required to file a US Federal Tax Return each year if their income is over the minimum threshold. No matter where you have earned this income, what currency it is earned in, or whether you have also paid taxes in the country in which you reside, you are required to file in the US if your income is above these levels.

The 2024-2025 income thresholds are currently:

Single with income over US$14,600

Married filing jointly with income over US$29,200

Married filing separately with income over US$5

Self-employed individuals need to file if their income is over US$400

Head of Household is over US$21,900

Note: You may need to file state taxes as well as taxes for your small business operating overseas. Depending on your situation, you may also be required to file additional reports, including Form 8938 and the Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR or FinCEN Form 114) to report overseas assets.
I have not filed my US tax returns in years; where do I start?

Your situation is quite common, and we help people with it every day. The IRS is offering the Streamlined Offshore Filing Procedure, an amnesty program for taxpayers who haven’t filed in a while.

In a nutshell, we have to file the last 3 US tax returns that you’ve missed, plus your bank account reports for the last 6 years. It is complicated, but all the hard work is done on our side. It really isn’t difficult for you at all.

On top of that, they promise no fines and no penalties. The Streamlined Tax Amnesty Program is only available for a limited time, so it’s certainly worth taking advantage of.

Less than 1% of our clients pay US tax, so the chances are you won’t have to pay the IRS a single cent. To get started, complete our US Tax Amnesty questionnaire.
Are there other Tax Credits for Families?

Yes, more tax credits, such as the Child and Dependent Care Credit, Adoption Tax Credit, or Credit for Other Dependents (ODC), are available to families with different situations.

Book a consultation with us to see what available family tax benefits you might be eligible for in addition to the Child Tax Credit.
Is my personal information safe when using the Child Tax Credit calculator?

Check Your Eligibility Now

Get a Quote

What You Should Know About the Additional Child Tax Credit this 2025

Credit Amount: Under the 2025 tax reform, the Child Tax Credit stayed at US$2,000 per qualifying child. The age cut-off also remains at 17 (the child must be under 17 at the end of the year for taxpayers to claim the credit).
Eligibility: The child must have a valid SSN to qualify for the US$2,000 Child Tax Credit and it must have been issued before the tax return filing deadline, including extensions.
Refundability: The credit’s refundable portion is US$1,700. After 2025, this amount will be adjusted for inflation.
Income Threshold: The earned income threshold for the refundable credit is lowered to US$2,500.
Credit Phaseout: The beginning credit phaseout for the child tax credit remained at US$200,000 (US$400,000 for joint filers).

What if I pay and I don’t get the refund?

We’ll refund all of your fees.
We’re the professionals. We’ll take the risk. Why should you?

Conditions apply.

– What’s the process? –

Watch Leo discussing the Child Tax Refund

See where he provides information on where to find help and resources for understanding and claiming the Child Tax Credit.

A little about us…

Expat Tax Online, LLC is owned and operated by Expat US Tax, which has been successfully trading since 2011, successfully filing over 9,000 tax returns. Both companies are owned by Andrew J. Landin.

2025 will mark Andrew’s 22nd year of expatriate taxes in a career that started with Ernst & Young in London before relocating to Melbourne and joining PricewaterhouseCoopers. Learn more about us.

How much will it cost me to file?

A standard tax return with an e-file is just US$298. There could be additional fees if you have additional filing requirements.

Get a Quote

Check Your Eligibility Now

Who prepares my tax return?

Your return will pass through 3 stages: Assessment, Preparation, and Approval. The Preparation stage is completed by a licensed (EA, CPA) tax preparer. The Approval stage is completed by a senior tax specialist (EA, CPA) with a minimum 8 years experience in international US tax preparation.

How long does it takes?

Once we have all your information, you can expect prepared tax returns within 20 working days.
Allow around 20-25 days for the IRS Streamlined Amnesty program.

Money back guarantee

If you’re not completely satisfied with the accuracy of your tax return, you can get all your money back.

Simply tell us before your return is filed, and we’ll arrange a refund.

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR HELP?

Live Chat

Live Chat is available at least 12 hours a day on business days.

Email

We’re really fast on e-mail. We typically reply within 60 minutes during business hours.

Call us

Your welcome e-mail includes phone numbers for our team in the UK/EU, Australia/NZ and Canada.

Messenger

You can also reach us via Facebook messenger click on this link.

ESTIMATE YOUR CHILD TAX REFUND