It depends. You may be eligible to claim your grandchild as a dependent and qualify for the associated tax benefits if your grandchild is not the qualifying child of anyone else. If your grandchild’s parent(s) live with you, the child may be the qualifying child of either parent but if the child’s parents don’t claim the child, you can claim your grandchild if your adjusted gross income (AGI) is higher than the parents. For more information, read the tiebreaker rules.
To determine if your grandchild is your qualifying child, the following questions must be true.
For a Qualifying child
- They must be related to you.
- They can't be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- If they are married, they can't file a joint return with their spouse.
- They must be under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
- They must have lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
- They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.
You may be eligible for the following tax benefits if you claim your grandchild as your dependent.
- Head of Household filing status
- Earned Income Credit (EIC)
- Child and Dependent Care Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Medical expense deduction
- Education Credits
For additional information, review the TurboTax article Rules for Claiming a Dependent on Your Tax Return.
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