Question

Your client Sam, is 30 years old and single Taxpayer. In 2019, he reported an AGI of $12,000, all from his job as a server at the local café. He is single and has no dependents. What amount of earned income credit may he claim in 2019?

Answer 1

Besides staying below the income thresholds noted above, there are other qualification rules and requirements. Here are the big eligibility rules, but you can also check out our quiz below for a quick read on whether you might qualify for the earned income tax credit in 2019.

• You must have at least $1 of earned income (pensions and unemployment don’t count).
• Your 2019 investment income must be $3,600 or less (that rises to $3,650 in 2020).
• You can’t claim the earned income tax credit if you’re married filing separately.
• You must not file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income; or Form 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.

As the client Sam is a single taxpayer the maximum amount of earned income tax credit is $ 529.

Number of children	Maximum earned income tax credit	Max earnings, single or head of household filers	Max earnings, joint filers
0	$529	$15,570	$21,370
1	$3,526	$41,094	$46,884
2	$5,828	$46,703	$52,493
3 or more	$6,557	$50,162	$55,952