How many kids can you claim on your income tax.

You can claim as many dependent children as meet the qualifying rules. To qualify, the child must be:

1. A US citizen
2. Your relative: your son, daughter, step child, foster child, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step brother, step sister or a descendant of any of them.
3. Residency: The child must have lived with you for more than half a year. For a newborn or a child who died during the year, the child must have lived with you the entire time he/she was alive.
4. Support Test: The child must not have provided more than half of his/her own support during the year.
5. Age test: the child must be under 19 years of age, or under 24 years of age if a full time student, or permanently and totally disabled.
6. If the child could be claimed as a dependent by more than one person, you must be the one entitled to do so (for example, through divorce decree).

You must report the social security number for each dependent you claim.

See Pub 501 and the "Exemptions for Dependents" section for more details:
Publication 501 (2007), Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information (http://www.irs.gov/publications/p501/ar02.html#d0e2859)

There is no limit. Make sure that they qualify to be your dependent.

If you claim a LOT of dependents, the Alternative Minimum Tax may kick in.