Earned Income Credit Calculator
Estimate the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) from your earned income, filing status, and number of qualifying children.
How it works
Phase-in = earned income × credit rate, up to the maximum credit · Phase-out = (income − start) × phase-out rate · EITC = max(0, max credit − phase-out)
The EITC rewards low-to-moderate income from work: it rises with each dollar earned up to a maximum, plateaus, then phases out as income climbs. Both the credit rate and the maximum grow sharply with the number of qualifying children. This is a simplified estimate — the actual credit uses the larger of earned income or AGI for the phase-out and has investment-income and other eligibility limits.
Worked example
A single parent with one child earning $15,000 is in the plateau range: $12,390 × 34% = $4,213 maximum, and with income below the $22,720 phase-out start there is no reduction, so the credit is about $4,213.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for the Earned Income Tax Credit?
Workers with low-to-moderate earned income who meet filing-status, residency, and investment-income limits. The credit is largest for families with children but is also available in a smaller amount to some childless workers.
Why does the credit go down as I earn more?
The EITC is designed to phase out. Above a starting income it is reduced by a fixed percentage of each additional dollar until it reaches zero, so very modest incomes receive the largest credit.
Is this an exact EITC amount?
No. It is a planning estimate using recent parameters. The real credit depends on the greater of earned income or AGI, exact tax-year tables, and other rules, so file using the IRS worksheet or software.
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Educational estimate, not tax advice. Uses recent federal parameters that change yearly and ignores your full situation — confirm with a tax professional or the IRS.