He gets military pay, and I was told that I need to have him on my taxes this year, but he would file his own return.
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You can, most likely, still claim him.
A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:
1. He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
2. He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support
3. He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as military training*) for more than half the year
So, it doesn't matter how much he earned. What matters is how much he spent on support. Money he put into savings does not count as support he spent on him self.
The support value of the home you provided is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.
Furthermore, there is a rule that says IF somebody else CAN claim him as a dependent, he is not allowed to claim his own exemption. If he has sufficient income (usually more than $6300), he can & should still file taxes; he just doesn’t get his own $4000 exemption (deduction). In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section.
Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.
*Even though he moved out before the middle of the year; the time in basic training and even advanced individual training, is still considered as living with you. Until he gets his permanent duty station; his residence is where he lived prior to enlistment.
You can, most likely, still claim him.
A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:
1. He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
2. He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support
3. He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as military training*) for more than half the year
So, it doesn't matter how much he earned. What matters is how much he spent on support. Money he put into savings does not count as support he spent on him self.
The support value of the home you provided is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.
Furthermore, there is a rule that says IF somebody else CAN claim him as a dependent, he is not allowed to claim his own exemption. If he has sufficient income (usually more than $6300), he can & should still file taxes; he just doesn’t get his own $4000 exemption (deduction). In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section.
Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.
*Even though he moved out before the middle of the year; the time in basic training and even advanced individual training, is still considered as living with you. Until he gets his permanent duty station; his residence is where he lived prior to enlistment.
I am in the same situation. He left for basic on 6/29 and was in training through 12/31/19. So I know I can claim him but SHOULD I? He will get a $4,000 deduction where I would only get a $2,000 deduction for him. He will file regardless but it seems it would be better for him to claim himself?
If he turned 17 during the year, you would only get a $500 deduction and $2000 for the child tax credit.You can claim him but you are correct in saying that it would be more advantageous of him to file claiming his own dependency.
@angiebarr123 - The rules changed drastically starting in 2018. There is no longer a $4000 deduction (Known as a personal or dependent exemption).
Most importantly, with the tax law change, most (your's does) dependents will get the same refund whether they claim themselves or not. The personal exemption has been eliminated and the standard deduction increased.
So, yes, you should definitely claim him, since you qualify. He's too old for the $2000 child tax credit, you will receive the $500 other dependent credit, instead and maybe some EIC.
It took me a year to forget the personal going away. Wish I could still forget - last year was a nightmare. But I had 2 responses, one saying it's better for him to claim himself and one saying his would be the same regardless. I'm assuming it would be the same regardless? Also, can I do his taxes under my turbotax account or do I have to have a different account for military since it's free for him?
Th other answer is wrong.
Yes, with online software, you can only do one tax return. So, yes, he'll have to open his own account.
For him, it would be the same regardless. But for you, there's a big difference.
You are right Hal. I did mean to say that she wouldn't receive the child tax credit if he turned 17 during the year. I failed proofread my answer. Thanks for pointing that out.
Hal is Correct. Whether or not parents claim the $500 other dependent credit, there is no difference to the child because of the elimination of personal exemptions.
Accordingly, if you are eligible to claim the $500 Other Dependent Credit, you should claim it!
i am trying to his taxes
Do you mean he was a student until May 2019, not 2015?
If he provided more than half of his own support for the year, he is not your dependent.
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.
Here are the other requirements that must be met to be claimed as a dependent.
Source: TurboTax FAQ
My son graduated May of 2021 and had joined the military prior to graduating high school. He left for basic training in late July (2021) and came home in September for a month. He left again for tech training in early November. Do I claim him on my taxes? He turned 19 in October (2021) but yet was still a senior in high school until May (2021). I want to make sure to file my dependents right and I am finding all sorts of misleading information.
I know that he has saved his money that the military has paid him and has barely spent anything on his cost of living. We supported him through his time leaving in late July. He has been away in training as I mentioned before.
@ckleslie The previous answer, above, applies in your situation. His being in high school til May 2021 makes him a full time student for 5 months. His being away for army training is only a temporary absence. As such, he is considered to have lived with you for more than half the year. Since he saved most of his income, he did not provide more than half his own support.
He qualifies as your dependent for 2021
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