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DOR > Individual Income Taxes > Tax Credits Tax Credits

There are many credits available to claim on your Indiana income tax return.

Information Bulletin #59 lists all the credits available to Indiana taxpayers. Also, the IT-40 instruction booklet (IT-40PNR instruction booklet) has more detailed information about the credits available to be claimed on the income tax return.

Below is a list and a brief discussion of the more commonly claimed credits:

Automatic Taxpayer Refund Credit

The Indiana General Assembly passed legislation providing for an Automatic Taxpayer Refund (ATR) credit for tax year 2012.

You may be eligible for the credit if you meet all three of the following qualifications. You must:

  • have timely filed (including extensions) a full-year Indiana resident income tax return for tax year 2011
  • timely file (including extensions) a full-year resident Indiana income tax return for tax year 2012
  • owe some tax to the state for 2012 (have a modified state tax liability)

The refundable credit that has been authorized for 2012 is $111 per eligible taxpayer ($222 for an eligible married couple filing a joint return). Dependents are not eligible to claim the ATR unless filing their own state tax return.

For more information about this credit, including how to figure it, see the instructions in the IT-40, IT-40EZ or IT-40PNR instruction booklets.

College Credit

If you donated money or property to an Indiana college or university, you may be able to take a credit.

  • For an individual filing a single return, the credit is the lesser of one-half of the amount contributed, or $100.
  • For individuals filing a joint return, the credit is the lesser of one-half of the amount contributed, or $200.

Note: Tuition paid to a college or university is not a contribution, and does not qualify for this credit.

Get Schedule CC-40 for complete details.

Credit for Taxes Paid to Other States

Indiana residents must report all income that is reported for federal income tax purposes on their Indiana individual income tax return. This includes income from sources outside Indiana. Likewise, nonresidents who receive income from Indiana generally will owe tax to Indiana on the part of their income that is from or connected with Indiana sources.

When this happens, individuals may be subject to individual income tax by both their state of residence and the state where the income comes from. Indiana has entered into agreements with several states to eliminate the requirement of paying tax to two states on the same income. Tax treatment of out-of-state income depends upon the types of income and the state from which the income is derived.

Note: Indiana only allows credits for individual income tax paid to other states or localities. Other taxes such as property taxes, corporate income taxes, and unincorporated business taxes are not allowed as a basis for claiming such credits.

See Information Bulletin #28 and the IT-40 instruction booklet (IT-40PNR instruction booklet) for details on how to figure and claim this credit.

Indiana State and County Tax Withholding Credits

Claim the Indiana state and Indiana county tax withholding amounts as credits when you file your Indiana income tax return (Forms IT-40, IT-40PNR, IT-40EZ, IT-40RNR or IT-40X).

Indiana withholding amounts may be found on any of the following forms:

  • W-2: Wage and Tax Statement
  • W-2G: Certain Gambling Winnings
  • 1099-G: Certain Government Payments
  • 1099-R: Distributions from Pensions, Annuities, Retirement or Profit-Sharing Plans, etc.
  • 1099-MISC: Miscellaneous Income
  • WH-18: Miscellaneous Withholding Tax Statement for Nonresidents (Indiana form)
  • WH-4852: Indiana Substitute for Form W-2 or Form 1099-R (Indiana form)

Do not claim other state's or non-Indiana locality withholding amounts on your Indiana income tax return. You'll need to contact those states/localities for instructions on how to claim those credits.

Indiana's Earned Income Credit

You may be eligible for Indiana’s earned income credit if you have claimed an earned income credit on your federal tax return. Get Schedule IN-EIC and review the detailed instructions beginning on page 29 of the IT-40 instruction booklet (page 34 of the IT-40PNR instruction booklet).

Unified Tax Credit for the Elderly

You may be able to claim the unified tax credit for the elderly if you or your spouse meet all the following requirements:

  • You and/or your spouse must have been age 65 or older by the end of the tax year;
  • You must file a joint return if you were married and living together at any time during the year;
  • Your federal adjusted gross income must be less than $10,000;
  • You must claim the credit by June 30 of the tax year;
  • You must have been a resident of Indiana for six months or more during the tax year; and
  • You must not have been in prison for 180 days or more during the tax year.

The credit ranges from $40 to $140, depending on your age, marital status and income, and must be claimed no later than June 30 following the close of the tax year.

Check out Section VI: Credits Available to the Elderly in Information Bulletin #26 for more information.

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