Form 15111 is the Earned Income Credit (EIC) Worksheet (CP 09), an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) worksheet you complete to determine whether you qualify for the EIC. It goes with the CP09 notice: the form tells you to upload it with the Document Upload Tool or mail it in the enclosed envelope. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the original PDF is published by the IRS at irs.gov.
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What is Form 15111?
Form 15111, Earned Income Credit (EIC) Worksheet (CP 09), is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) worksheet that you complete to determine whether you qualify for the earned income credit (EIC, called EITC elsewhere on the form).
The worksheet is built in three steps after a contact block. In the contact block you give your name and Social Security Number, your spouse's name and Social Security Number if you filed jointly, your current address and two telephone numbers with the best time to call. Step 1 lists three situations that rule you out: living in the United States for 6 months or less in 2025, a Social Security card that reads "Not Valid for Employment," and being the EITC qualifying child of another person. Step 2 collects information on up to three dependents who may be EITC qualifying children. Step 3 counts how many of them meet the requirements and tells you whether you may be eligible for the credit, with or without a qualifying child.
The form refers to tax year 2025 and to your CP09 notice. It is not a tax return and does not grant the credit; its wording is that you "may be eligible." For who can claim a dependent who meets the requirements, the form points to Publication 596, Earned Income Credit (EIC). The printed revision is February 2026, Catalog Number 69806K.
It does not replace Form 1040X: if you are claiming a qualifying child who was not listed as a dependent on your original Form 1040, the form tells you to file Form 1040X and not to complete this worksheet.
Who needs to file Form 15111?
The main group is taxpayers who received a CP09 notice from the IRS and are asked to complete this worksheet to determine whether they qualify for the EIC. If you and your spouse filed a joint return for 2025, the form asks for both names and Social Security Numbers.
Who stops at Step 1: if you or your spouse (on a joint return for 2025) checked any box in Step 1, you do not qualify for the EITC and you do not need to respond. The boxes are living in the U.S. for 6 months or less in 2025 (with a rule for U.S. military personnel stationed outside the U.S. on Extended Active Duty), a Social Security card that reads "Not Valid for Employment" and was issued to receive a federally funded benefit such as Medicaid, and being an EITC qualifying child of another person.
Who should not complete it: if you are claiming an EITC qualifying child who was not listed as a dependent on your original Form 1040, file Form 1040X instead.
Step 3 also covers people with no qualifying child. You may be eligible for the credit if you (or your spouse, on a joint 2025 return) are at least 25 but less than 65 years old, you cannot be claimed as a dependent or EIC qualifying child by another taxpayer, and you lived in the United States for more than half the year.
When to file Form 15111
Complete Form 15111 when you receive a CP09 notice that asks you to determine whether you qualify for the EIC; the form tells you to refer to that notice for additional information. The form prints no separate due date of its own, so use the notice for any response date.
If a Step 1 box applies to you, the form says to stop: you do not qualify for the EITC and you do not need to respond.
The form also gives a forward-looking reminder: before you file your next tax return, use the EITC Assistant toolkit at IRS.Gov/EITC to see whether you may qualify for the EITC.
How to fill out Form 15111
Enter your name and SSN
In the contact block, write your name and Social Security Number. If you and your spouse filed a joint return for 2025, add your spouse's name and Spouse Social Security Number.
Update address and phone numbers
If your address has changed, enter the current address, city, state and ZIP code. Add a primary and a secondary telephone number, each with the best time to call, marking a.m. or p.m.
Check the Step 1 statements
Check a box if you or your spouse (on a 2025 joint return) lived in the U.S. for 6 months or less in 2025, hold a Social Security card reading "Not Valid for Employment" issued for a federally funded benefit, or are an EITC qualifying child of another person.
Stop if any Step 1 box applies
If you checked any Step 1 box, you do not qualify for the EITC and you do not need to respond. If you checked none, continue to Step 2.
Confirm the Step 2 dependent rule
If your qualifying child was not listed as a dependent on your original Form 1040, file Form 1040X and do not complete this form. Complete Step 2 only for a dependent you claimed on your original Form 1040.
List each child in Step 2
For Child 1, Child 2 and Child 3, enter the first and last name in column (1) and the Social Security Number in column (2). The dependent must have an SSN.
Answer the residence question
In column (3), check Yes or No for whether the child lived with you (or your spouse, on a joint 2025 return) in the U.S. for more than 6 months.
Count qualifying dependents in Step 3
Using your column (3) answers, enter how many dependents meet the requirements. A Yes answer means the dependent meets them; a No answer means the dependent does not.
Read the Step 3 result
With at least one qualifying dependent, you may be eligible for the credit, and Publication 596 decides who claims the dependent. With none, check the age, dependency and residence conditions for the credit without a qualifying child.
Review and download the completed PDF
Check names, Social Security Numbers, checked boxes and answers against your CP09 notice. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF, then return it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Form 15111
You return Form 15111 in one of two ways: upload it electronically with the Document Upload Tool, or mail it in the enclosed envelope.
- Document Upload Tool: complete the form and upload it electronically. The form says to refer to your CP09 notice for additional information about the tool.
- Mail: send the completed form in the envelope enclosed with your notice. The form prints no mailing address of its own.
If your address has changed, write the current address in the contact block, call 800-829-0922 or visit www.irs.gov.
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the channels above.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Continuing to Step 2 after checking a Step 1 box; the form says to stop there because you do not qualify for the EITC.
- Completing this worksheet to claim a qualifying child who was not listed as a dependent on your original Form 1040; the form says to file Form 1040X and not to complete it.
- Listing a dependent who has no Social Security Number in the Child's SSN column; the form states the dependent must have an SSN.
- Answering the column (3) question without checking that the child lived with you, or your spouse on a joint 2025 return, in the U.S. for more than 6 months.
- Counting a child who answered no to question 3 in the Step 3 total of dependents who meet the requirements.
- Leaving an old address in the contact block when your address has changed.
- Assuming a dependent who meets the requirements can be claimed by more than one person; the form says only one person can claim that dependent and points to Publication 596.
- Overlooking the instructions in the CP09 notice about the Document Upload Tool when you choose to upload instead of mail.
Frequently asked questions
What is Form 15111 used for?
Form 15111 is the IRS Earned Income Credit (EIC) Worksheet (CP 09). You complete it to determine whether you qualify for the earned income credit, using three steps that screen out disqualifying situations, list your dependents and count those who meet the EITC qualifying child requirements.
Do I have to respond if I check a box in Step 1?
No. The form says that if you checked any Step 1 box you do not qualify for the EITC, you should stop there and you do not need to respond. Only continue to Step 2 if you checked none of the boxes.
Can I fill out Form 15111 online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not send the form to the IRS; you return it by the Document Upload Tool or in the enclosed envelope.
How do I return Form 15111 to the IRS?
Upload it electronically with the Document Upload Tool or mail it in the enclosed envelope. The form tells you to refer to your CP09 notice for additional information about the upload tool, and it prints no mailing address of its own.
Is there a deadline for Form 15111?
The form prints no due date. It is completed in response to a CP09 notice and tells you to refer to that notice for additional information, so check the notice for any response date that applies to you.
What if my qualifying child was not on my original Form 1040?
Do not complete Form 15111. The form says that if you are claiming an EITC qualifying child who was not listed as a dependent on your original Form 1040, you must file a Form 1040X instead.
Can I qualify for the EIC without a qualifying child?
Possibly. If none of your dependents meet the requirements, you may be eligible if you (or your spouse on a joint 2025 return) are at least 25 but under 65, cannot be claimed as a dependent or EIC qualifying child, and lived in the U.S. more than half the year.
What if my address has changed?
Write your current address in the contact block of the form. The form also says you can call 800-829-0922 or visit www.irs.gov to provide the new address.
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