⁠fact Check Did Trump Sign A Law Barring Child Support Recipients From

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 25, 2025, 11:30 AM

⁠fact check did trump sign a law barring child support recipients from

A Jan. 20 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) warns of a major change to tax law for people with children. "Donald Trump says that a woman who receives child support from a man can no longer claim the child on her taxes," reads part of the post's caption. The post was liked more than 10,000 times in a week. More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page President Donald Trump never made such a statement, and there is no evidence of any such change to the tax code.

The originator of the claim later admitted to fabricating it. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab A rumor that Donald Trump was signing a bill that would bar child support recipients from claiming the child on their tax returns has been circulating. It’s been 24 hours since Donald Trump was officially sworn into office as the 47th U.S. president, and misinformation is already swirling after the president signed a flurry of executive orders that shook up Washington. One alarming rumor on social media suggested that Trump signed a new tax law barring any recipients of child support (which are most likely to be women) from claiming their children on tax returns.

In the days before the inauguration, a video of two men discussing the supposed new law began circulating on Instagram. “Trump just tweeted if you put your baby father on child support, you can’t claim income tax — only he can,” a man speaking in the video explains. “When you put your baby father on child support, you no longer can claim your child, only the father can only one of y’all can claim your child,” he continued. “If he paying child support, you can’t claim the kids, only he can.” Even before President Donald Trump took office again Jan. 20, some social media users blamed him for a new law that would affect some families.

"Trump passed a new law that whoever is paying the child support will get to declare those children on their taxes," a TikTok user said in a Jan. 18 video. "Say you’re a single father, single mother, and you are not the one paying the child support, you will not get the tax return for the child." Social media users also shared the post on Instagram and Facebook, and said Trump tweeted about the new policy. The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Despite the rumors, Trump did not enact a new law about child support and taxes. Viral TikTok misinformation sparks debate A bizarre rumor has been circulating online, claiming that Donald Trump signed a law barring child support recipients from claiming their children on tax returns. This misinformation caused quite a stir on social media, with heated debates over tax laws and child support responsibilities. However, the claim is entirely false. The rumor gained traction after TikToker William Elston, who has a combined 300,000 followers across platforms, posted a video falsely claiming that Trump tweeted about this supposed new law.

Elston stated, "If you put your baby daddy on child support, the baby daddy now gets all of the income tax." His video quickly went viral, racking up over 12 million views and sparking... Reactions to the claim varied widely. Some celebrated the idea, like a user on X (formerly Twitter) who wrote, "The double-dip party is over... next year ya done." Others took a more critical stance, warning against sharing unverified information. For instance, @ksb1908 said, "After a quick fact-check, I had to tell everyone sending it to me it wasn't true. I can't believe people really get their news from TikTok!"

What's the truth? No such law exists. Snopes, a respected fact-checking organization, thoroughly examined Trump's recent executive actions and social media posts, concluding there's zero evidence to support the claim. "We rate this claim as false," the site reported. In reality, Trump's second-term policies focus on various controversial topics, but changes to child tax credit laws tied to child support are not part of his agenda. Copyright © AFP 2017-2025.

Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more. "Donald Trump’s NEW CHILD SUPPORT LAW will be crazy. If you receive child support you will no longer be able to claim the child on your taxes, only the person who is PAYING the child support can," says a January 19, 2025 Facebook... The claims circulated on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, including posts in Spanish. The online rumor of a new "Trump child support law," follows the president signing a series of executive orders in his first week back in the White House -- ranging from dismantling the federal...

However, no such law regarding child support was among the flurry of actions taken by Trump since his return to office. Posts suggest that recipients of child support will no longer be able to claim the child on income tax returns. But a review of Trump’s stated policies, recent announcements and social media accounts reveal no such proposal as of January 27, 2025 (archived here, here and here). We found no evidence of such a post on TruthSocial or X. Trump has said he would expand the child tax credit during his second term in office. As U.S.

President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, a pervasive rumor on Instagram and YouTube claimed he posted about child tax credits on social media. One alleged post, purportedly from Jan. 17, 2025, claimed that women who receive money in child support from men would no longer be able to claim the child as a dependent on their taxes, and thus would not receive a... Snopes received numerous questions from readers, asking us about a purported new "Trump child support law." A video claimed the following: Trump just tweeted if you put your baby father on child support, you can't claim income taxes — only he can. [...] When you put your baby father on child support, you no longer can claim your child — only the father can [...] only one of y'all can claim your child.

If he's paying child support, you can't claim the kids — only he can. Another video from Jan. 17, 2025, claimed Trump had tweeted that morning that any woman who put her "baby daddy" or "ex-husband" on child support had automatically lost rights to tax-return funds and child tax credits. Several videos on TikTok have been going viral which state that President Trump allegedly announced a new law soon after his swearing. Further claiming that it would change the way people claim dependence on taxes in child support. A TikToker with username @secretservicesam claimed the same garnered millions of views on his video (released on January 18), as he stated:

Meanwhile, another TikToker, William Elston, also posted a similar video on January 16, claiming that Trump even declared the same on social media. In the viral video, the TikToker said: However, as the videos of the TikTokers went viral on social media, it created a frenzy amongst the masses, although no leading publication or government body had announced the same. As the viral videos spread, social media users began questioning if the news was true. The TikTok creator, Elston, who claimed the same then hopped on to the platform to clarify that he had made up the story, and none of it was true. In a video posted on January 24, 2025, Elston stated that he was only joking, and admitted to being the source of the rumor.

Hence, the viral news about Trump signing the law barring child support recipients from claiming income tax is fake, as the President has not passed any such order.

⁠fact Check Did Trump Sign A Law Barring Child Support Recipients From

People Also Search

A Jan. 20 Instagram Post (direct Link, Archive Link) Warns

The Originator Of The Claim Later Admitted To Fabricating It.

In The Days Before The Inauguration, A Video Of Two

"Trump Passed A New Law That Whoever Is Paying The

Despite The Rumors, Trump Did Not Enact A New Law