Earned income credit

[Melinda]

I have a taxpayer and spouse with a disabled adult child. The spouse is the mother and and taxpayer is the stepfather. The earned income credit will only work if I put the the child as daughter. This is true for the spouse. Are they eligible for the earned income credit?

[mcb39]

I have a taxpayer and spouse with a disabled adult child. The spouse is the mother and and taxpayer is the stepfather. The earned income credit will only work if I put the the child as daughter. This is true for the spouse. Are they eligible for the earned income credit?

Yes, if she lives with them and is there dependent. And, of course, all other EIC guidelines must be met as to income,etc.

[Melinda]

Everything else is within the guidelines. It was when I did the efile creation that ATX wouldn't let me do the eic with stepchild. Thanks for the confirmation

[taxperson]

Everything else is within the guidelines. It was when I did the efile creation that ATX wouldn't let me do the eic with stepchild. Thanks for the confirmation

ATX didn't allow stepchild because it isn't in the list of allowable dependent relationships for electronic filing. Those are

Values: "CHILD",

"FOSTERCHILD",

"GRANDCHILD",

"GRANDPARENT", "PARENT",

"BROTHER", "SISTER",

"AUNT", "UNCLE",

"NEPHEW", "NIECE",

"NONE", "SON",

"DAUGHTER", "OTHER"

The taxpayer might be picky about the "step" portion but the IRS isn't. "Child" works just fine.

[kcjenkins]

Right. For tax purposes, there is no such thing as a 'stepchild', he is just a 'qualifying child'. Read page 12 of Pub 501.