IRS WANTS THEIR MONEY, THE SHUTDOWN IS OVER

 Changes to the Child Tax Credit 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧If you took advantage of the child tax credit in 2017, you were able to claim a $1,000 credit on your income tax return for each child under 17 who qualified. For 2018, that deduction has doubled to $2,000 per qualifying child.
The child tax credit was nonrefundable before the TCJA. Now, the refundable portion is equal to 15% of your earned income over $2,500, up to $1,400. To estimate how much of the refund you would receive, you can use the following equation:
(Your salary - $2,500) x .15
In order to qualify your child to  for the new credit, they must meet all of the requirements on the Child Tax Credit Test.

Child Tax Credit Test

• The child must be under age 17. More precisely, your child must have been 16 years or younger on the last day of 2018.
• The child must be related to you. This includes your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, your grandchild, niece or nephew, or legally adopted child.
• You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return.
• The child must be a U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or a U.S. resident alien with an SSN.
• The child must have lived with you for more than half of the tax year. Note: there are exceptions to the residency test, such as absences related to school, vacation, military service, and medical care.
• The child must not provide more than half of his or her own support.

The new child tax credit eventually phases out for married taxpayers filing jointly with an income of $400,000 ($200,000 for all other taxpayers).