Illinois Earned Income Credit
Last updated August 2026
Illinois pays 20 percent of your federal EITC on top of it: up to $130 with no children, $866 with one, $1,430 with two, $1,609 with three or more, for tax year 2025. And Illinois added its own Child Tax Credit: 40 percent of your Illinois EITC if you have a child under 12.
Illinois opens doors the IRS keeps shut. ITIN filers qualify for the state credit even though they cannot get the federal one. So do workers 18 and older with no upper age limit, including seniors the federal credit excludes.
Claiming takes one schedule: file your IL-1040 with Schedule IL-E/EITC, and the total lands on Line 29. The Child Tax Credit is Step 5 of the same schedule. ITIN or age-excluded filers use the Expanded EITC Worksheet, with checkboxes built into the form.
File even if your income is below the filing requirement; Illinois only pays refunds to people who file. For a working family, the state EITC, the child credit, and the federal credit together are often the biggest check of the year.
The tax department's EITC pages spell out the maximums and the how-to-claim steps.
Updated August 2026 Program details can change — confirm with the program directly.
Who qualifies
- You must qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and file an Illinois state income tax return
- The credit is refundable, so you can receive it even if you owe no Illinois income tax
You may qualify. The program makes the final decision.
How to apply
- 1
File your federal return first, claiming the federal EITC if you qualify.
- 2
File your IL-1040 with Schedule IL-E/EITC attached; the credit totals to Line 29.
- 3
Have a child under 12? Complete Step 5 of the schedule for the Illinois Child Tax Credit, worth 40 percent of your IL EITC.
- 4
Filing with an ITIN, or 18-24 or 65+ without kids? Check box 5a/5b and use the Expanded EITC Worksheet; a child with an ITIN goes in via box 5d.
- 5
File even below the income-filing threshold; refunds only reach people who file.
What the application looks like
Common questions
How much is the Illinois EITC?
20 percent of your federal EITC: up to $130 with no children, $866 with one, $1,430 with two, $1,609 with three or more for tax year 2025.
What is the Illinois Child Tax Credit?
40 percent of your Illinois EITC, for filers who qualify for the IL EITC and have at least one child under 12. It is claimed in Step 5 of the same Schedule IL-E/EITC.
Can I get it with an ITIN?
Yes. Illinois extends its EITC to ITIN filers who cannot claim the federal credit, using the Expanded EITC Worksheet and checkbox 5a on the schedule.
I'm over 65 with no kids. Do I qualify?
Possibly, yes. Illinois removed the federal age window: childless workers qualify at 18 and up with no upper age cap.
How do I claim it?
File IL-1040 with Schedule IL-E/EITC; the total carries to Line 29. File even if you are below the filing requirement, because refunds only go to filers.
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