Disclaimer
An educational estimate — not advice.
Who Claims the Kid.com helps you understand who can claim your child and what Form 8332 does. It's a starting point for your own research, not a substitute for professional guidance or an official determination.
Not professional advice
The information and estimates on this site are provided for general educational purposes only. They are not tax, legal, financial, or accounting advice, are not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional, and don't create any advisory relationship. Who claims a child, and whether to sign a release, has real financial and legal consequences — before you act, confirm your situation with a tax professional or attorney.
Estimates, not determinations
The calculator produces an estimate of federal child-related benefits, not a determination of who may legally claim the child or a guarantee of any credit amount. In particular:
- Scope. The tool estimates federal child-related benefits only — the Child Tax Credit/ACTC, the Credit for Other Dependents, the EITC, the value of Head of Household filing status, and the Child & Dependent Care Credit. It does not model every line of a return, state child credits, or itemized deductions, and it treats income as earned income.
- Custodial-parent determination. The tool uses overnights to identify the custodial parent and applies the higher-income tie-breaker when nights are equal. Real cases can turn on facts it doesn't capture (multiple children split across homes, temporary absences, written decree language).
- 2026 figures. Dollar amounts reflect the 2026 tax year drawn from IRS sources and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some projected values may be replaced with official figures as the IRS releases them.
Time-sensitive and subject to change
Tax figures update annually and the law can change. This tool models the rules as we read them for the 2026 tax year. The Child Tax Credit amount, refundable portion, phase-outs, EITC parameters, and dependent-care credit values may be adjusted; verify current figures against IRS primary sources before relying on them.
Verify before you rely on it
For the authoritative rules, read IRS Publication 501 (dependents, custodial-parent definition, and tie-breakers) and Form 8332 (releasing the claim). We do our best to keep figures accurate and to cite primary sources, but we make no warranty of accuracy or completeness and accept no liability for decisions made based on this site. See our terms of use.
No affiliation
Who Claims the Kid.com is an independent tool operated by Red Goggles LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the IRS, any state tax agency, or any tax-preparation company.
Last updated: June 3, 2026