Do I leave my 16 yr old son on my return even though he is going to file taxes this year to?

[DexterS · Accepted solution]

Here are the IRS's Rules for Claiming an Exemption for a Dependent

Table 3-1. Overview of the Rules for Claiming an Exemption for a Dependent

Caution. This table is only an overview of the rules. For details, see the rest of this chapter.

• You can’t claim any dependents if you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) could be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer. 
• You can’t claim a married person who files a joint return as a dependent unless that joint return is filed only to claim a refund of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid. 
• You can’t claim a person as a dependent unless that person is a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.1 
• You can’t claim a person as a dependent unless that person is your qualifying child or qualifying relative. 

Tests To Be a Qualifying Child

Tests To Be a Qualifying Relative

1. The child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of them. 
2. The child must be (a) under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), (b) under age 24 at the end of the year, a student, and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or (c) any age if permanently and totally disabled.  
3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year.
4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year. 
5. The child must not be filing a joint return for the year (unless that return is filed only to get a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid).

If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, only one person can actually treat the child as a qualifying child. See Qualifying Child of More Than One Person to find out which person is the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child.

1. The person can’t be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer. 
2. The person either (a) must be related to you in one of the ways listed under Relatives who don’t have to live with you , or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household2 (and your relationship must not violate local law). 
3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,050.
4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.

If meets the above tests it's important that, when he files his return he indicates that someone else is claiming him as a dependent.  Otherwise your tax return will have to be "paper filed" delaying any potential refund by weeks.