thenwood1
New Member

Should I claim my adult daughter (age 24) as a dependent this year if she will be going off to medical school for the 2021/2022 school year?

She has been unable to work the last couple of years and I have claimed her as a dependent in prior years. Trying to increase her ability for financial aid and in-state tuition for future years.

Education

If she was age 24 in 2020 and earned less than $4,300 and you provided more than half of her support you can claim her as a dependent. 

Hal_Al
Level 15

Education

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit and student status test, a relationship test and a residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit. The Other dependent (qualifying relative) credit is worth (up to) $500 per dependent and is non-refundable.  That is, it can only be used to reduce an actual tax liability.

 

Since you daughter is 24, she can no longer be a QC.  So, now there is an income test. A person can still be a Qualifying relative dependent, if not a Qualifying Child, if he meets the 6 tests for claiming a dependent:

  1. Closely Related OR live with the taxpayer ALL year
  2. His/her gross taxable income for the year must be less than $4300 (2020).
  3. The taxpayer must have provided more than 1/2 his support

In either case:

  1. He must be a US citizen or resident of the US, Canada or Mexico
  2. He must not file a joint return with his spouse or be claiming a dependent of his own
  3. He must not be the qualifying child of another taxpayer