NEW YORK (WKBW) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced an expansion of New York’s child tax credit.
The governor's office said this is the largest expansion of the child tax credit in New York State history and increases the value of the credit and makes it available to more families.
The following is information on the expansion shared by the governor's office:
- For the 2026 filing season (Tax Year 2025), eligible families can now receive up to $1,000 per child under age four and $330 per qualifying child age 4 through 16 years old.
- Next year (Tax Year 2026), the credit for children ages four through 16 will also increase to up to $500 per child and households with eligible children under age four will still be able to claim up to $1,000 per child.
- New York eliminated a longstanding provision that restricted New York’s poorest families from accessing the full credit, also known as the minimum income requirement or credit phase-in, so that these families can now access the full value of the credit as a refund.
- New York also adjusted the credit phase-out, so more middle-class families whose incomes were previously too high to qualify for the credit can receive the credit. The full credit remains available to jointly filing households up to $110,000, but now the expanded credit combined with its gradual rate of phaseout means even a family of four with a child under 4 and a child over 4 with household income of $170,000, who would not have qualified for any credit under the prior program, can now receive over $500 per year.
The governor's office said you are eligible for the child tax credit if you:
- Are a full-year New York State resident, and
- Have at least one qualifying child younger than 17 years old as of December 31 of 2025, and
- File a New York State income tax return and provide a valid Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for you and for each child you claim — learn how here.
You can receive the maximum value of the credit if your income is below $75,000 for single, head of household and $110,000 for married filing jointly.
