Education

You always report your own income on your own tax return, your income should never be combined with your parents (unless your only income is interest and dividends from investments in your name).  Your tax return is always private from anyone else including parents.  They have no way of learning how much income you reported or what the source of the income was.

 

There are two questions you may be thinking of.  "Can someone else claim you as a dependent on their return?" followed by, "Will the person who could claim you, actually claim you this year?"

 

You must answer "yes" that you can be claimed, if you can be claimed, even if you don't want to be claimed.   The second question, "will you be claimed", is only used to determine eligibility for the American Opportunity Credit.  Sometimes, if the parents are very high income and are barred from the AOTC, it makes for them to not claim the child as a dependent even if they could, so the child can claim the AOTC.

 

Your description does not give enough information.  The key missing fact is where did you live more than half the nights of the year.  If you lived with your parents, then they can claim you because you did not provide more than half your own support.  (And most of the time, even students living at college are considered to live "at home" because being away at college is considered a temporary absence.)  However, if you have moved out and live on your own for more than half the year, they can't claim you even if they paid more than half your expenses, because your own income is more than $4700.  Review the rules carefully that were linked by the other experts.