---
title: Special Rule for Determining 2017 Earned Income for EIC and Child Tax Credit
description: The Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2017 provides special rules for some qualified taxpayers to figure out their federal income tax return for 2017, their earned income tax credit and/or the child tax credit depending on their earned income for 2016.
---
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# Special Rule for Determining 2017 Earned Income for EIC and Child Tax Credit
The Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2017 provides special rules for some qualified taxpayers to figure out their federal income tax return for 2017, their earned income tax credit and/or the child tax credit depending on their earned income for 2016. This provision primarily affects residents of Florida, Georgia and Texas and may also affect some residents of Louisiana, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. Taxpayer’s whose 2016 earned income was more than that for 2017 are the only ones qualified for this provision. The provision does not apply in the event that the 2017 earned income is more than that of 2016.
The taxpayer has to be a Qualified Individual for them to be eligible for the provision, where Qualified individual refers to an individual who primarily resided in the Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria disaster zone during every applicable hurricane or someone who resided in the disaster zone (or just outside the disaster zone) and was displaced from their home because of the hurricane. For joint returns, in the event that either the taxpayer or their spouse can be considered qualified, they may use this special rule.
To chose this special provision for figuring out the EIC and/or Child Tax Credit:
- Go to the Main Menu of the tax return (Form 1040)
- From the men, select Personal Information
- Proceed to Other Categories
- Then Disaster Designation
- Double click on the right designation of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, or Hurricane Maria.
After selecting the Hurricane designation, some menus related to Disaster Tax Relief Act will avail themselves to the user.
To calculate EIC and/or Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit depending on their earned income for 2016:
- Go to the Main Menu of the tax return (Form 1040)
- From the menu, select Payments, Estimates & EIC
- Proceed to Earned Income Credit
- Then double click on Complete Schedule EIC
- Select Prior Year Earned Income for Hurricane Victims then insert the earned income from the 2016 tax return of the taxpayer.
- Finally, select Determine if Prior Year Earned Income is Best
In the event that the taxpayer does not qualify for Earned Income Credit and is seeking to figure out the Child Tax Credit based on their earned income for 2016:
- Go to the Main Menu of the tax return (Form 1040)
- From the menu, select Credits menu
- Proceed to Child Tax Credit
- Then Double Click on Complete Schedule EIC
- Select Prior Year Earned Income for Hurricane Victims then insert the earned income from the 2016 tax return of the taxpayer.
- Finally, select Determine if Prior Year Earned Income id Best
Note: This is not tax advice. It is a guide on how to enter the special rules for some qualified individuals to figure out their 2017 federal income tax return earned income tax credit and/or the child tax credit based on their 2016 earned income into the Taxx Savage Pro program.
**Additional Resources**
[Publication 547 – Casualties, Disasters and Thefts](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p547.pdf)
[Publication 976 - Disaster Relief](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p976.pdf)
[Help for Victims of Hurricane Harvey](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-victims-of-hurricane-harvey)
[Help for Victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/help-for-victims-of-hurricanes-irma-and-maria)
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