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Tax filing for college student

taxdrama — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 19:26:30 GMT

My wife and I reside in Virginia and my daughter did her high school in Virginia. Thereafter, she went to Connecticut for her full-time undergraduate degree. She has her driver's license from VA and is registered to vote in VA. She earned like $600 in CT in the year 2024, and got a W2 which shows that about $50 of CT taxes were withheld. No Federal income tax or FICA was withheld. She has also been doing online tutoring for which she earned about $3000 in year 2024. She also earned some interest (like $15) on her savings account in a Virginia branch of a bank. Questions:

1. Does she have to file federal (in view of her self-employment income over $400) and state income tax returns?

2. Does she have to file both CT and VA tax returns ?

3. Does she (first) file a non-resident return for CT and (then) a resident return for VA?

4. How does she divide her online tutoring income between CT and VA? Or, is there no need to do so?

Thank you

Re: Tax filing for college student

MaryK4 — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:04:59 GMT

If you are claiming her as a dependent on your tax return, she would be a resident of Virginia. Because she goes to school in Connecticut, her time away is considered a "temporary absence".

1. Yes she would be required to file a federal tax return because she had the self-employment income over $400.

2. She would have to file a Connecticut. A Connecticut nonresidents is required to file if she had any withholding.

She would not be required to file a Virginia tax return because her Virginia adjusted gross income is less than $11,950.

3. Since she does not have to file a Virginia return, the order is moot.

4. She would want to allocate the tutoring income based on where she was when she earned the money- so if she tutored from Connecticut, she would allocate that portion to report on the Connecticut return.

See Who Must File - Virginia Tax, Who Must File a Connecticut Resident Return

Re: Tax filing for college student

taxdrama — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 20:14:09 GMT

If we do not want to claim a refund for the CT state tax withheld, do we still have to file a CT state return? Its such a small amount that the effort might not be worth it. In other words, can she just file the federal tax return and no state (CT or VA) returns?

Re: Tax filing for college student

LeticiaF1 — Sun, 16 Feb 2025 21:55:41 GMT

As MaryK4 mentioned in the previous post, your daughter isn't required to file a Virginia tax return because her Virginia adjusted gross income is less than $11,950. She has to file a Connecticut return because Connecticut nonresidents are required to file if there's any withholding.

@taxdrama

Re: Tax filing for college student

taxdrama — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 13:58:29 GMT

A follow up question. On my daughter's CT return, I have split her online tutoring income between CT and VA in 2 is to 1 ratio as she lived roughly twice in CT than she lived in VA. Now, TurboTax is asking me to enter the CT portion of the federal income adjustment for self-employment tax deduction. Should I split this also in 2:1 ratio with two thirds being shown for CT. Thank you.

Re: Tax filing for college student

KeshaH — Sat, 22 Mar 2025 14:33:04 GMT

Yes, you can prorate her self-employment deduction in the same way that you prorated her self-employment income.