Can I receive child tax credit if my son is 19years old, a full time college student with no income?

[DoninGA]

The child must be under the age of 17 to qualify for the Child Tax Credit.  That does not mean you cannot claim them as a dependent on your tax return.  If he is a full time student and under the age of 24 then you can claim him as your dependent under the Qualifying Child rules if he meets all the requirements.

To be a Qualifying Child -

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, (b) under age 24 at the end of the year and a full-time student or (c) any age and permanently and totally disabled.

3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year. Temporary absences while away at college are considered living with you.

4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year.

5. If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child. 

6. The child must be a U.S. citizen or U.S., Canada or Mexico resident for some portion of the year.

7. The child must be younger than you unless disabled.

[Steve075]

If the child is between 18 and 24 and a full-time student, lives at home (except while at college), and does not provide > half his or her living expenses, is the amount of the credit $500 or $2,000 (assuming the AGI is less than the phase out range)?

[Hal_Al]

Q.Is the amount of the credit $500 or $2,000?

A. $500

Your child is  too old (over 16), for the (up to) $2000 Child Tax Credit.  You can still claim your child, as a "Qualifying Child" dependent*. What you can't claim is the Child tax credit. This comes as a big surprise to many parents the year their child turns 17. A child over age 16 no longer qualifies for the Child Tax credit (CTC). Although a child can still be a student dependent through age 23, and a qualifying child for EIC,  the Child Tax Credit expires the year they turn 17 and you no longer get the $2000 CTC. Instead you will get the non-refundable (up to) $500 Other Dependent Credit.

*There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, a relationship test, student status, and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.

There is an additional age requirement for the $2000 Child tax credit (CTC). The QC must be under age 17.

So, a Qualifying relative dependent and a qualifying child, over 16, only gets you the $500 (non-refundable) "Dependent credit", not the $2000 Child tax credit

[Steve075]

Thank you for the quick, clear, concise, and complete answer!