If TurboTax is asking for your parents' income, it must be because you are subject to "kiddie tax." It's not just for kiddies. If you have investment income (unearned income) of more than $2,100, and you are not filing a joint return, then your investment income over $2,100 is taxed at your parents' rate if any one of the following is true.
- You were under 18 at the end of 2016.
- You were 18 at the end of 2016 and your earned income (from working) is not more than half of your total support for the year.
- You were under 24 at the end of 2016, you were a full-time student, and your earned income (from working) is not more than half of your total support for the year.
Obviously, in order to calculate the tax at your parents' rate, TurboTax needs information from your parents' tax return. You have to get the information from them.
The tax at your parents' rate is commonly called "kiddie tax" from the days when it only applied to children under 14. The age limit has been raised to where it can apply to adult children who are still in school, but the name has stuck.
