Earned Income Tax Credit Calculator

The EITC is a refundable federal tax credit for workers with low to moderate income. Because it is refundable, it can grow your refund even if you owe no income tax. The amount you get depends on your earned income, adjusted gross income, filing status, and number of qualifying children.

It applies the 2026 EITC formula. Your credit grows at a fixed phase-in rate up to a maximum, stays flat across a plateau, then falls at a set phase-out rate once the greater of your AGI or earned income passes a threshold. With two children, for example, the phase-in rate is 40 percent and the phase-out rate is 21.06 percent, and married filing jointly uses a higher threshold.

The IRS figures the credit on your earned income, then again on your AGI once your AGI reaches the phase-out threshold, and gives you the smaller of the two. So a higher AGI can shrink your credit even when your earned income alone would qualify for more. This calculator applies the phase-out using the greater of your AGI or earned income, which gives the same result.

The EITC uses four tiers: zero, one, two, and three or more children. A fourth or fifth child does not raise the credit beyond the three-child level, so this calculator caps the tier at three or more. A qualifying child must also pass the IRS relationship, age, residency, and joint-return tests.

Yes. For 2026 you cannot claim the EITC if your investment income is more than $12,200, regardless of how much you earned from work. This calculator does not check that limit, so confirm your investment income is under it before relying on the estimate.

No, it is an estimate, not tax or financial advice. It uses the 2026 federal EITC parameters (IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32) and assumes you otherwise qualify, including a valid Social Security number and the age tests for filers with no children. The official IRS table uses $50 income brackets, so your actual credit can differ by a few dollars. Check IRS Publication 596 or a tax professional before filing.