Turned 18 in 2021 and i worked and a full time student, i never received a stimulus payment, where can i claim that ?

[Hal_Al]

Q.  I worked and a full time student, i never received a stimulus payment, where can i claim that ?

A. You most likely can't claim it at all, if you are under 19 (or a full time student under 24) and still living with your parents.

If you are or CAN BE claimed as a dependent*, you are not eligible for the recovery rebate credit (stimulus) even though you made enough money to have to file a tax return.

If you cannot be claimed as a dependent, you claim the  recovery rebate credit  ($1400) on line 30 of form 1040.  In TurboTax (TT), that will come up in the review section of the interview.

*There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and Other ("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, student status, a relationship test and residence test.

A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:

1. He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
2. He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support. Scholarships are excluded from the support calculation
3. He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as away at school) for more than half the year

So, it doesn't matter how much he earned. What matters is how much he spent on support. Money he put into savings does not count as support he spent on him self.

The support value of the home, provided by the parent, is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.

The IRS has a worksheet that can be used to help with the support calculation. See: http://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/content/globalmedia/teacher/worksheet_for_determining_support_4012.pdf

Furthermore, there is a rule that says IF somebody else CAN claim him as a dependent, he is not allowed to claim himself. If he has sufficient income (usually more than $12,550), he can & should still file taxes. In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section.  TT will check that box on form 1040.

Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding

See full dependent rules at: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Rules-for-Claiming-a-Dependent-on-Your-Tax-Ret...

[MinhT1]

As a 18-year-old full time student, you can still be the dependent of your parents if you did not provide for more than half of your support with your income.

In this case, you are not eligible for the third stimulus.

However, if you provided more than half of your support, then you can file your return as a non-dependent and claim the third stimulus as the Recovery rebate credit.

In TurboTax Online, to claim the Recovery Rebate credit please do the following:

1. Sign into your account and continue from where you left off 
2. Click on Federal in the left-hand column, then on Federal Review on the top of the screen
3. On the next page titled Did you [or your spouse] get a third stimulus payment?, answer Yes or No
4. Follow the interview and answer all questions
5. TurboTax will determine whether you are entitled to any additional stimulus
6. Any stimulus amount remaining due to you will show as a credit on line 30 of your form 1040.

Please read this TurboTax Help topic for more information on the third stimulus.

[Hal_Al]

Another issue that may come up: There's a new urban myth among college students that says they can get a $1000 from the government just for filing a tax form. For most of them, they simply aren't eligible. A full time unmarried student, under age 24, even if you don't qualify as a dependent, is only eligible for the refundable portion of the American Opportunity Credit if he supports himself by working. You cannot be supporting yourself on parental support, 529 plans or student loans & grants. You usually must have actually paid tuition, not had it paid by scholarships & grants.  It is usually best if the parent claims that credit. 

You cannot claim a credit if you are, or can be, claimed as a dependent by someone else.

Reference: Line 7 instructions for form 8863. https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8863