Q. Can I not declare them and say they are not students?
A. No. I'm looking for avoidance, not fraud.
Q. But MUST I declare they are students?
A. Yes. Even if you do not claim them as dependents, they are still subject to the "kiddie tax' (form 8615).
Q. It's only worth $500 each to do so?
A. There's also a (up to) $2500 tuition credit, unless your income is too high (>$90K. $180K married filing jointly)
There is no way, other than tax fraud, to avoid the kiddie tax.
