Deductions & credits

Not sure what you mean by "dropping" your son as a dependent.  If you entered your son as a dependent in MY INFO and did so correctly, then you should see your son listed on your Form 1040 on the top half of the first page of the tax form.  There will be a box checked by his name if he qualifies for the child tax credit or the credit for other dependents.  You cannot get the CTC for a child who was older than 16 at the end of 2023.  But you can get the $500 credit for other dependents.

 

If you and another parent/person both claim your son and the other person filed first, your e-file would be rejected for duplicate use of your son's SSN.  That would not cause your son's name to drop off of your actual return form.  So something else is wrong----you might be answering a question incorrectly.   Go back to MY INFO and make sure you have entered your son's date of birth, Social Security number etc. correctly.   When it asks if he provided half of his own support say NO---that question sometimes trips people up.   

**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.**