An independent calculator for a hard co-parent decision.

Who runs this

Who Claims the Kid.com is published by Red Goggles LLC, an independent operator of free web calculators and reference tools. We are not the IRS, a tax-preparation company, a law firm, a mediator, or a government agency, and we have no stake in which parent claims the child. We don't sell anything, we don't collect leads, and we don't take your information — the calculator runs on your device and nothing you type is sent to us.

Why this site exists

After a divorce or separation, only one parent can claim a child as a dependent in a given year, and the choice can move real money. The broad "child tax credit calculator" tools online are built for a single filer — none run the dual-parent, side-by-side comparison a co-parent actually needs. Worse, many get the Form 8332 split wrong. Getting that split right, and showing the combined household result for each scenario, is the entire reason this tool exists.

How it's calculated

The comparison rests on one rule the tool applies carefully — what a signed Form 8332 does and doesn't move:

• The Child Tax Credit / Additional CTC and the Credit for Other Dependents follow the dependency claim and can be released to the noncustodial parent with Form 8332.
• The Earned Income Tax Credit, Head of Household filing status, and the Child & Dependent Care Credit stay with the custodial parent no matter what the form says.

The tool first works out who the IRS calls the custodial parent (the one the child spent the greater number of nights with), then compares the total federal child-related benefit the household keeps under each claiming scenario. The full method is spelled out on the calculator page under How the IRS decides who claims the child and What Form 8332 actually moves.

How we stay accurate and current

We anchor every rule to IRS primary sources — Publication 501 and Form 8332 — and state the 2026 dollar figures with a visible "Last updated" date. Tax figures change: the Child Tax Credit was reset by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (P.L. 119-21) and begins inflation indexing with the 2026 return, so we replace projected values with official figures as the IRS releases them. We keep the tone neutral — this is an emotional decision, and we frame it as maximizing the household's total, never as who "deserves" the claim.

How the site is funded

Who Claims the Kid.com is free and supported by display advertising. Advertising is kept calm and never mixes with your inputs — see our privacy page for exactly what is and isn't collected.

Questions or corrections? Accuracy matters to us on a topic this consequential — reach us on the contact page.