Taxes: Can claim Earned Income Credit for children if I have 0 children and...?!

[FIREin2018]

I have 0 children.
I keep my AGI at $21k because Obamacare for health insurance and max subsidies.

I'm using H&R Block tax program and doing taxes myself.
It says I can't claim the EIC for 0 children because my AGI is too high. AGI cutoff is $17640 for filing single.

So if my AGI is lower, i can claim a tax credit for having children even though I have 0 children?
I just found it funny

[NotJen]

You can get the EIC (actually, EITC - earned income tax credit) if you don't have kids.

[EvenSteven]

When the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) was being implemented in the 1970s was the argument made that it was needed to help specifically those with children or something? I'm not following its connection to kids. Or maybe you are talking about a different credit?

[terran]

The earned income tax credit isn't the same as the child tax credit. The EITC just has cut offs that are associated with household size and is much more generous for people who have dependents (whether children or other qualifying relatives). As the name implies it also only applies to those with earned income, so if you FIREd in 2018 in the traditional sense (no longer work) then it wouldn't apply to you anyway.