No, just because he files a return does NOT mean he is not your dependent.
(To answer your question, no, you do not need to delete him from your return if you think you might claim him again in a future tax year. And yes, claiming him MAY reduce his refund, but then again it might not. That would depend on his income. BUT, as far as the IRS is concerned, if he is your dependent, you should claim him, and even if you don't, he cannot claim himself.)
Here are the requirements for you to claim him:
Qualifying
Child
1. The child must be your son, daughter,
stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister,
stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of them.
2. The child must be (a) under age 19 at
the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly),
(b) under age 24 at the end of the year, a student, and younger than you (or
your spouse if filing jointly), or (c) any age if permanently and totally
disabled.
3. The
child must have lived with you for more than half of the year.
4. The
child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the
year.
5. The child must not be filing a joint
return for the year (unless that joint return is filed only to claim a refund
of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid).
Relatives
who don't have to live with you. A person related to you
in any of the following ways doesn't have to live with you all year as a member
of your household to meet this test.
Your
child, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of any of them (for example,
your grandchild). (A legally adopted child is considered your child.)
--------------- OR -----------------
Qualifying
Relative:
The person can't be your qualifying child or the
qualifying child of any other taxpayer.
The person either (a) must be related to you in
one of the ways listed under Relatives who don't have to live with you,
or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household (and your
relationship must not violate local law).
The person's gross income for the year must be
less than $4,150.
You must provide more than half of the person's
total support for the year.
Gross income means all income the person
received in the form of money, goods, property and services, that isn’t exempt
from tax. Don’t include social security benefits unless the person is married
filing a separate return and lived with their spouse at any time during the tax
year or if 1/2 the social security benefits plus their other gross income and
tax exempt interest is more than $25,000.
If your meets either of these requirements (Qualifying Child or Qualifying Relative), you claim him on your taxes.
Your son can file a tax return and may get a refund, but he selects "Someone else can claim me" AND "Someone else will claim me". He may still get a refund.
If your son is your dependent, and he claimed that he wasn't on his return and already filed, he will need to file an amended return and you will need to mail your return in (since his exception will show as taken in the IRS data bank).
Below is a link to help if he needs to file an emended return.
Just because a child has income does not mean that child is no longer your dependent.
