topic Re: Dependent child over 24 in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Dependent child over 24

pm92508 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:38:20 GMT

I have a child who is just over 24, does full time school, makes annually over $4,400 from work study pay which goes towards paying off-campus apartment, food, books, etc. I am chipping in for tuition along with her student loan. How do I show her as dependent? TurboTax marks her as independent as soon as I mention her over $4,400 salary.

Here's a rough breakdown of how the expenses are covered -

Her work study salary - 20%

My support - 30%

529 account - 10%

Loan - 40%

Can I claim her as dependent?

Re: Dependent child over 24

DanaB27 — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 14:10:15 GMT

No, if she is over 23 and makes more than $4,400 then she cannot be claimed as a dependent. Please see Who can I claim as my dependent? for details.

Re: Dependent child over 24

Carl — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:16:18 GMT

To further clarify: There age today does not matter. If the student was over the age of 23 *on or before Dec 31* of the tax year, and earned more than $4,300 during that tax year, nobody qualifies to claim them as a dependent.

Re: Dependent child over 24

pm92508 — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:32:24 GMT

Thanks for clarifying that. That said, should I continue to show her 1099-T and other school expenses on my taxes or that wont help? Should she file her own taxes even the gross pay was under $12k? One thing I noticed that I should reduce my number of exemptions now. I owe IRS a lot now. Thanks in advance.

Re: Dependent child over 24

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:35:25 GMT

@pm92508 TurboTax is following the tax laws. Despite the fact that your "child" is still being supported by you, they are too old to be a qualified child, and made too much to be a qualified relative dependent. That means you have no way to claim them as either kind of dependent. Sorry.

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2022 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

They're related to you.
They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).

No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.

They 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.

Qualifying relative

They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
They lived with you the entire year (exceptions apply).
They made less than $4,400 in 2022.
You provided more than half of their financial support.

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.

Re: Dependent child over 24

Carl — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:53:08 GMT

should I continue to show her 1099-T and other school expenses on my taxes

No. You can't. If the student is required to file a tax return, the student reports everything on their own tax return.