Low-income families may be able to get an increase in refunds after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) raised the income tax credit for the upcoming year. After the IRS’ adjustments, families with three or more children may get up to $8,231, MassLive reported.
Families with two children can get $7,316, increasing from $7,152 in 2025. A family with one child may get as much as $4,427, increasing from the previous amount of $4,328. Adults without children can receive up to $664, a $15 increase from the previous year.
Who qualifies for the Earned Income Tax Credit from the IRS?
Taxpayers may qualify for the tax credit if they meet specific thresholds for adjusted gross income. For married couples who have more than three children, their adjusted gross income must be below $70,224, MassLive reported. The IRS also states that the threshold is $65,899 for a married couple with two children, $58,863 for those with one child and $26,820 for those without children.
Single taxpayers with three or more children must have an adjusted gross income below $62,974 to qualify for the credit. It’s also a lower threshold for single taxpayers with two children ($58,629) and those with one child ($51,593), as well as people without children ( $19,450).
Taxpayers who have more than $12,200 in investments for 2026 don’t qualify for the credit.
How does the IRS adjust tax brackets?
The IRS adjusts tax brackets according to the rate of inflation. The adjustment is designed to help increase tax refunds for eligible low-income and moderate-income families.
According to MassLive, the IRS also announced new tax inflation rates for the upcoming year. Although the tax rate hasn’t changed much from 2025, people may be able to earn a higher income without being bumped into a higher bracket, Yahoo! Finance reported.