Claiming a Newborn on Your Taxes: What You Need to Know

A new baby in your family can mean lots of life changes – including your tax life.  Claiming a newborn on your taxes and taking advantage of tax benefits, such as the child tax credit, is possible even if the baby was born late in the year.  In fact, you can claim your newborn on taxes even if they were born the very last day of the year. 

The IRS residency test says you qualify to claim a newborn on your taxes if your home was the child’s home for more than half the time they were alive. This is true if the child lived with you more than half the year except for any required hospital stay after birth.

Can I Claim My Newborn on Taxes Without a Social Security Number?

You can claim your newborn on your taxes, but you must provide your baby’s Social Security number (SSN) to complete the return. If you claim your newborn but you don’t include their SSN on the return, the tax benefits for your child will be disallowed.

Although most newborns get an SSN soon after they are born, sometimes you might not get your child’s SSN before you file your tax return if they were born near the end of the year. If you haven’t received your child’s SSN by the normal tax due date, you should file an extension using Form 4868. That will give you extra time to get the SSN.