What makes you so sure you will not be a dependent when you turn 18 and go to college? Going away to live at college is considered to be a "temporary absence" from home, and your parents can still claim you and say you lived with them all year. If you are in college and your parents are paying for your support, they can claim you as a dependent until the year you turn 24. So be careful when you file any future tax returns and have to answer the question as to whether you can be claimed as someone else's dependent.
Here is the criteria that your parents can use:
WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?
You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2024 tax return as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
- They're related to you.
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
- They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
- They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
