Claim son as dependent or not?

devootty — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 06:40:00 GMT

My son got part-time job this tax year and got around $11k as income. He is 22 years old. We have been claiming him as dependent so far. Is it beneficial to add him to our return (this will add 11k more to our income) or let him file separately without claiming him as dependent.

Re: Claim son as dependent or not?

xmasbaby0 — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:28:03 GMT

We need to know if he was a full-time student in 2023. If he was a full-time student you can still claim him as a qualified child. If he was NOT a full-time student you cannot claim him.

And.....you would NEVER add his income to your own tax return. Even if he can be claimed as your dependent, he can file his own tax return to seek a refund of tax withheld. His income does not go on your return.

Re: Claim son as dependent or not?

Vanessa A — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:30:17 GMT

Is he a full time student? If he is not, you cannot claim him as a dependent since he earned more than $4,700.

If he IS a student, then you can claim him as a dependent. Even if you do claim him, you would NOT enter his income on your return. You would need to file a separate return for him.

In order to claim someone as a dependent, the following criteria must be met.

To claim someone as a qualifying child:

Your child (including adopted and foster children), your sibling, or a descendent of any of them.
Age 18 or younger at the end of the tax year OR under 24 (and younger than you and your spouse) if they are a full-time student
Lived with you for more than 6 months during the tax year
They did not provide more than half of their own support
They did not file a joint return, unless it was to claim a refund

A qualifying Child may allow you to claim Child Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax. If they are 17 or older, then you would not get the Child Tax Credit, but instead you would get the Other Dependent Credit.

To claim someone as a Qualifying Relative, they must be:

Your child ( including step children, adoptive children and foster children) or a descendent of them
Your sibling (including half siblings) or a child of your sibling or a sibling-in-law
Your parent or grandparents, including step parents and in laws
Any other person that lived with you for the entire tax year
Not a qualifying child of another taxpayer
Someone that you provided over half of their support for during the tax year
Has less than $4,700 in income (not counting social security)

Claiming someone as a qualifying relative allows you to claim the $500 Non-Refundable Other Dependent Credit

Should I include my dependents income on my return

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Claim son as dependent or not?

Re: Claim son as dependent or not?

Re: Claim son as dependent or not?