Deductions & credits

@Opus 17 Thank you.

@CARLSOME81 From your post, it looks like you should get the $500 credit. You may have answered something incorrectly when you were entering him as a dependent. Carefully review how you answered each question,  in the Personal Info section of TurboTax. Select the Edit next to your son.

To be eligible for the $500 Credit for Other Dependents ("Family Tax Credit"), the person(s) being claimed must fit the definition of a qualifying child or a qualifying relative, as defined here:

Qualifying child

• They are your biological child, stepchild, adopted child, eligible foster child, sibling or half-sibling, stepsibling, or an offspring of any of these;
• They haven’t already been claimed for the Child Tax Credit or Credit for Other Dependents, either by you or by anyone else;
• They are a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, or U.S. national;
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse;
• They are under the age of 19 (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); and
• They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.

Despite the name, a qualifying relative doesn’t have to be related to you. However, a nonrelative must have lived with you for the entire year.

On the other hand, a true relative isn’t required to live with you the entire year, as long as they are your:

• Biological child, stepchild, adopted child, foster child, sibling, half-sibling, stepsibling, or an offspring of any of these; or
• Biologically-related direct ancestor (parent, grandparent, etc.), stepparent, aunt, uncle, son- or daughter-in-law, father- or mother-in-law, brother- or sister-in-law.

Related or not, the person you’re claiming as a qualified relative must also fit these criteria:

• They haven’t already been claimed for the Child Tax Credit or Credit for Other Dependents, either by you or by anyone else;
• They are a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, or U.S. national;
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse;
• They either lived with you for the entire year or are related to you;
• They have less than $4,300 gross income in 2020 (nontaxable Social Security doesn't count); and
• You provided more than half of their financial support. More info

The credit is $500 per qualifying dependent as long as the adjusted gross income (AGI) doesn’t exceed $200,000 ($400,000 if filing jointly). The credit goes down $50 for every $1,000 that the AGI exceeds the $200,000/$400,000 limit.

[Edited 3/1/2021|12:31 PM PST]