topic Re: cannot add Form 8615 in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

cannot add Form 8615

LC9P — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 03:40:16 GMT

I cannot add Form 8615 to my child's return. When I open one in View/Forms, it is disabled with this "Child Age 18 to 23 Smart Worksheet" box:

The "No" box is checked and I cannot change it to "Yes" even though (as far as I can tell) all the conditions are met:

Child is full-time student between age 19 and 23.
Unearned income (interest + non-qualified dividend) more than $2300.
Earned income less than half of their support.

What may I be missing? Is there TT worksheet where I can check how it comes to the "No"' conclusion? How does TT know what is "half of their support"?

Re: cannot add Form 8615

TeresaM — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 13:27:55 GMT

Please make sure you have completed all of the questions for your child in the Personal Info section. Then you should be able to check the Yes box for Form 8615.
In TurboTax Desktop:

Click on the Personal Info tab, on the top
Scroll down to the dependent section and click on the Edit button
Click Edit for this child
Continue until all of the questions are completed and you come back to the main information page

Re: cannot add Form 8615

LC9P — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:00:16 GMT

Thanks @termj for your reply. It seems that you are suggesting me to add 8615 to my tax return, but I thought that was to file with my child's. That was how TT did it last year anyway.

Perhaps more background of how I came to this situation:

New 2022 return for child, importing data from their 2021 TT file.
TT created 8615 in 2022 return (of child) as part of the import.
Worked on 2022 return (of child), inputting new data, etc. In particular I entered my taxable income into line 6 of 8615.
TT flagged errors in 8615 during error check. I think the first error was that parent's middle initial should be blank, but all the fields with value were in red.
Couldn't get past the 8615 errors, so I tried to delete it for a fresh form.

I suspect that somehow by #4, TT had decided that 8615 was not needed.

Re: cannot add Form 8615

Mike9241 — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 17:46:07 GMT

two forms for the kiddie tax with the 8814 the parents report the child's income, pay the tax, and child does not file. however, there are additional limitations that may prevent use of this form. then the 8615 must be used

• The child’s only income was from interest and dividends,
including capital gain distributions and Alaska Permanent Fund
dividends.
• The child’s gross income for 2022 was less than $11,500.
• The child is required to file a 2022 return.
• The child does not file a joint return for 2022.
• There were no estimated tax payments for the child for 2022
(including any overpayment of tax from his or her 2021 return
applied to 2022 estimated tax).
• There was no federal income tax withheld from the child’s
income.

* no schedule C income

also if parents are married but didn't file jointly there are additional rules to be able to use 8814

instructions

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8814.pdf

Re: cannot add Form 8615

LC9P — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 18:13:36 GMT

Thanks @Mike9241 for bringing up the 8814 option. Unfortunately I can't use 8814 because the child had some 2021 overpayment applied to 2022.

Re: cannot add Form 8615

LC9P — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 18:50:24 GMT

@TeresaMand @Mike9241, FYI I've checked the instructions for 2022 Form 8615. I think my situation meets all the conditions and so 8615 is required:

The child had more than $2,300 of unearned income. Sum of 1040 line 2a (Taxable Interest) and line 3b (Ordinary Dividend) is over 2,300.
The child is required to file a tax return. According to Table 2 in Publication 501, my child is required to file tax return (using the rules for single filer under 65 and not legally blind). His unearned income is more than $1,150.
Was a full-time student at least age 19 and under age 24 at the end of 2022 and didn’t have earned income that was more than half of the child's support. Child was full-time student in the age range. 1040 line 1z is less than half the child's support.
At least one of the child's parents was alive at the end of 2022. I'm alive and well 🙂
The child doesn’t file a joint return for 2022. Child is filing single.

Also here are some redacted screenshots from TT:

Child's Personal Info Worksheet

Child's Student Info Worksheet

Re: cannot add Form 8615

AmyC — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:42:44 GMT

The 8615 should be on the student return with those criteria met. The 8615 showed up in the review when I was trying to duplicate your issue. I tried to answer as little as possible to try and find the issue. If you are using desktop, you can switch to Forms mode to see the Form 8615. Only boxes with errors should be red. Middle Initial is not important since last name and social are matched up. Make sure the top boxes are not marked on the form and be sure to fill in the pink boxes. Since you deleted the form, you should be able to add it back. You can type 8615 in the search box and jump to the form.

I don't see your part II of the personal worksheet. It has the trigger questions for the 8615. It should look like this:

Re: cannot add Form 8615

LC9P — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 01:05:40 GMT

Thanks @AmyC! Box 5 of Part II of the personal info worksheet was checked "No". With that corrected I can now add 8615.