Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Is TurboTax telling you this or are you seeing this somewhere else?  That earnings limit is for federal to claim someone as an Other Dependent or Qualifying Relative, not a qualifying child.  If you have a child who is under 24 and still in school full time for at least 5 months out of the year, then this earnings limit does not apply.  They would still count as your Qualifying Child.  There income does not matter.  What matters is if they paid more than  half of their own support for the year.  If they did, then you cannot claim them for federal or state. 

Do you qualify

You must meet all of the following on December 31 of the tax year:

• You were unmarried, considered unmarried, or not in a registered domestic partnership
• You have a qualifying child or relative
• Your qualifying person lived with you for more than 183 days in the year
• You paid more than ½ the costs for maintaining a home
• You were a U.S. citizen or legal resident for the whole year

Qualifying Child

A qualifying child is a person who meets all of the following tests:

• Relationship Test. The person must be one of the relatives listed as follows or a descendant of such a person:
  • Birth child
  • Stepchild
  • Eligible foster child
  • Adopted child
  • Grandchild
  • Brother
  • Sister
  • Half brother
  • Half sister
  • Stepbrother
  • Stepsister
  • Nephew
  • Niece
• Age Test. The person must be under 19 years of age or a full-time student under 24 years of age. The person also meets the age test if he or she is permanently and totally disabled at any time during the calendar year. (If the person does not meet the age test to be a qualifying child, he or she may meet the requirements to be a qualifying relative.)
• Residency Test. The person must live with you for more than half the year.
• Support Test. The person must not have provided more than half of his or her own support.