The dad will have to print, sign and mail his own return. Since the teenager filed a return that said he cannot be claimed, his Social Security number is now in the system and Dad cannot e-file....Dad can still file a return that claims his son but it has to be mailed. The IRS will sort it out---it may take awhile but eventually they will both get letters from the IRS. Sounds like the mom encouraged the teenager to file incorrectly. And maybe "mom" is just not very knowledgeable about taxes.
An 18 year old who was in high school in 2020 can be claimed as a dependent. The rule is that if a person CAN be claimed as a dependent they are required to say that on their own tax return. A teenager who had money withheld from his paycheck can file a tax return to seek a refund of tax withheld, but is not eligible to get stimulus checks----since that is what this is probably all about. Dependents are not eligible to receive stimulus checks.
What should happen --- is the boy should amend his return. We do not know yet how aggressive the IRS will be about recovering stimulus money received incorrectly by filing incorrectly.
The boy's dad could not have received child tax credit or the first or second stimulus checks for the boy, since a parent can only get that for a child younger than 17 at the end of 2020. So Dad is not "stealing" anything from the boy. Dad could get the $1400 3rd stimulus check by claiming his son, since the age limit for that one was changed.
Here are the rules for claiming a dependent:
WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?
You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2020 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
•They are related to you.
•They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
•They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
•They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.
•They are under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children
• They live with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
Qualifying relative
•They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
•They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
•They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
•They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.
•They lived with you the entire year.
•They made less than $4300 (not counting Social Security)
•You provided more than half of their financial support. More info
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them.
Related Information:
•Does a dependent have to live with me?
•What does "financially support another person" mean?
•Can I claim a newborn baby?
And some information that should be of interest to the son:
https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/dependents/help/when-do-i-have-to-answer-yes-to-being-claimed-as-a...
**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.**
