[tbsubramanian]

Hi,
I am Bala and I came to US last year April 2006 with my family. I came to US with H1B visa and my spouse and kid has H4.

I am aware of the fact that I can claim Child tax credit if I have ITIN for my child. But since there is change is process that we can't apply for ITIN separately and the same has to be applied along with Tax filing. My question is

1. My tax consultant told me that without having ITIN for my child(as first year we can't have ITIN as it has to be filed along with tax filing), I can't claim child credit for him. Though I applied for ITIN along with tax submission, will that not be considered for child tax credit.

2. How do I claim for child tax credit for the first year with ITIN being applied for him

Thanks in advance for your help

Regards
Bala

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

Bala:

You CAN claim the Child Tax Credit if yo0u file jointly with your wife and you BOTH choose to be treated as resident aliens for ALL of 2006. That requires you declare any income you made in your home country. You can also claim a tax credit for the income taxes you paid on the home-country-based income, but the credit is NOT dollar-for-dollar.