U.S. Individual Income Tax Return

Form

8862

Information To Claim Earned Income Credit
After Disallowance

(Rev. January 2009)
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

©

Attach to your tax return.

©

See instructions on back.

OMB No. 1545-0074
Attachment
Sequence No.

43A

Your social security number

Name(s) shown on return

Before you begin: u See your tax return instructions or Pub. 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC), for the year for which you are
filing this form to make sure you can take the earned income credit (EIC) and to find out who is a
qualifying child.
u If you have a qualifying child, complete Schedule EIC before you fill in this form.
u Do not file this form if you are taking the EIC without a qualifying child and the only reason your EIC
was reduced or disallowed in the earlier year was because it was determined that a child listed on
Schedule EIC was not your qualifying child.

Part I
1
2

3

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Enter the year for which you are filing this form (for example, 2008)
If the only reason your EIC was reduced or disallowed in the earlier year was because you incorrectly
©
reported your earned income or investment income, check “Yes.” Otherwise, check “No”
Yes
No
Caution. If you checked “Yes,” stop. Do not fill in the rest of this form. But you must attach it to your tax return to take
the EIC. If you checked “No,” continue.
Could you (or your spouse if filing jointly) be claimed as a qualifying child of another person for the
©
year shown on line 1?
Yes
No
Caution. If you checked “Yes,” stop. You cannot take the EIC. If you checked “No,” continue.

Part II
4
5

All Filers

Filers Without a Qualifying Child

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Enter the number of days during the year shown on line 1 that you lived in the United States
Caution. If you entered less than 183 (184 if the year on line 1 is 2008), stop. You cannot take the EIC. See the instructions.
If married filing a joint return, enter the number of days during the year shown on line 1 that your spouse
©
lived in the United States
Caution. If you entered less than 183 (184 if the year on line 1 is 2008), stop. You cannot take the EIC. See the instructions.

Part III

Filers With a Qualifying Child or Children

Note. Child 1 and Child 2 are the same children you listed as Child 1 and Child 2 on Schedule EIC for the year shown on line 1 above.
6 Enter the number of days each child lived with you in the United States during the year shown on line 1 above:
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a Child 1 ©
b Child 2
Caution. If you entered less than 183 for either child (184 if the year on line 1 is 2008), you cannot take the EIC based on
that child, unless the special rule for a child who was born or died during the year shown on line 1 applies. See the
instructions.
7

If your child was born or died during the year shown on line 1, enter the month and day the child was born and/or died.
Otherwise, skip this line.

(2) Month and day of death (MM/DD) ©
a Child 1 © (1) Month and day of birth (MM/DD) ©
/
/
(2) Month and day of death (MM/DD) ©
b Child 2 © (1) Month and day of birth (MM/DD) ©
/
/
8 Enter the address where you and the child lived together during the year shown on line 1. If you lived with the child at more
than one address during the year, attach a list of the addresses where you lived:
a Child 1 © Number and street
City or town, state, and ZIP code
Otherwise, enter below:
b Child 2 © If same as shown for child 1, check this box. ©
Number and street
City or town, state, and ZIP code
9 Did any other person (except your spouse, if filing jointly, and your dependents under age 19) live with
©
child 1 or child 2 for more than half the year shown on line 1?
Yes
No
If “Yes,” enter that person’s name and relationship to the child below. If more than one other person
lived with the child for more than half the year, attach a list of each person’s name and relationship to
the child:
a Other person living with child 1: Name
Relationship to child 1
b Other person living with child 2: If same as shown for child 1, check this box. ©
Otherwise, enter below:
Name
Relationship to child 2
Caution. The IRS may ask you to provide additional information to verify your eligibility to claim the EIC.
For Paperwork Reduction Act Notice, see back of form.

Cat. No. 25145E

Form

8862

(Rev. 1-2009)

Form 8862 (Rev. 1-2009)

Page

2

General Instructions

Lines 4 and 5

Purpose of Form

Enter the number of days you lived in the United States during
the year shown on line 1.
Example. You are single and are filing Form 8862 for
2008. Your home was in the United States for all of 2008.
On line 4, you would enter “366.”

You must complete Form 8862 and attach it to your tax return
if both of the following apply.
1. Your EIC was reduced or disallowed for any reason other
than a math or clerical error for a year after 1996.
2. You now want to claim the EIC and you meet all the
requirements.
But do not file Form 8862 if either of the following applies.
● After your EIC was reduced or disallowed in an earlier year
(a) you filed Form 8862 (or other documents) and your EIC
was then allowed, and (b) your EIC has not been reduced or
disallowed again for any reason other than a math or clerical
error.
● You are taking the EIC without a qualifying child and the only
reason your EIC was reduced or disallowed in the earlier year
was because it was determined that a child listed on Schedule
EIC was not your qualifying child.
Also, do not file Form 8862 or take the credit for the:
● 2 years after the most recent tax year for which there was
a final determination that your EIC claim was due to reckless
or intentional disregard of the EIC rules, or
● 10 years after the most recent tax year for which there was a
final determination that your EIC claim was due to fraud.
You also must attach Schedule EIC to your return if
you have a qualifying child or children. In addition
to filing Form 8862 and, if required, Schedule EIC,
CAUTION
you may be asked to provide other information
before any refund claimed on your return is issued. The process of establishing your eligibility to take the EIC will delay
your refund.

Additional Information
For more details on the EIC, including the definition of a qualifying child and who is eligible to take the EIC, see your tax
return instructions or Pub. 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC),
for the year for which you are filing Form 8862.

Specific Instructions
Need More Space for an Item?
If you do, attach a statement that is the same size as
Form 8862. Number each entry on the statement to correspond with the line number on Form 8862. Put your name
and social security number on the statement and attach it
at the end of your return.

Members of the military. If you were on extended active duty
outside the United States, your home is considered to be in
the United States during that duty period. Include your active
duty time on line 4 and your spouse’s, if applicable, on line 5.
See Pub. 596 for the definition of extended active duty.

Lines 6 and 7
Temporary absences, such as for school, vacation, medical
care, or detention in a juvenile facility, count as time lived
at home.
Child born or died. If your child was born or died during the
year entered on line 1 and your home was the child’s home
for the entire time he or she was alive during that year,
replace the number entered on line 6 for that child with
“365” (“366” if the year on line 1 is 2008).
Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the information
on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the
United States. You are required to give us the information. We
need it to ensure that you are complying with these laws and
to allow us to figure and collect the right amount of tax.
You are not required to provide the information requested on
a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless
the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books or
records relating to a form or its instructions must be retained
as long as their contents may become material in the
administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax
returns and return information are confidential, as required by
Internal Revenue Code section 6103.
The average time and expenses required to complete
and file this form will vary depending on individual
circumstances. For the estimated averages, see the
instructions for your income tax return.
If you have suggestions for making this form simpler, we
would be happy to hear from you. See the instructions for your
income tax return.