Grad school kid

[ourfamily123]

Our daughter is 21 and just started grad school 2020 and is a half time student but plans on going all year round incl summer. She works 2 part time jobs paying down school

loans. How long can we claim her as a dependent? And can we claim her after she graduates as long as she lives at home?

[AnnetteB6]

She can be claimed as a dependent on your return if she is a full-time student and under the age of 24 and she did not provide over half of her own support, regardless of her income.  After she graduates, her income will become a factor in determining if she is still a dependent on your tax return, along with whether you provide over half of her support.

Take a look at the following TurboTax article for more details:  Who can I claim as my dependent?

[ourfamily123]

We provide 100% support at home but she is half time at grad school but is plannjng on going all year round incl summer. So how does that work? Considered full-time then?

[KatrinaB48]

Yes, the requirement is that she has attended school on at least a half time basis for five months or more out of the year. The IRS designates a half-time college student as attending school on a full-time basis. As long as her school considered her a half-time student during 2019, then she qualifies as your dependent based on school status. 

[hayes1244]

The child must be 18 or younger at the end of the year, or under 24 if a student. To be a student, the child must have attended school full-time during at least five months of the year. The five months don’t have to be in a row.

Regardless if she is in Grad school full time or not; a “Dependent” cannot have a gross yearly income over $4,200. (That’s the amount for 2019 returns — it usually changes each year). She can still file her own taxes, use her own SS# but again, her AGI cannot exceed the indicated amount in order to be claimed as a Dependent. 

[KatrinaB48]

That is correct. I misread the question above. The IRS rule for claiming the dependency exemption is that a full-time student is a student who is enrolled for the number of hours or courses the school considers to be full-time attendance. The five months attended do not need to be consecutive. Please view the IRS link here for more information.