topic College student of divorced parents in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

College student of divorced parents

user17703169538 — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:29:01 GMT

Can one parent claim the college student, age 19, for the Credit for Other Dependants and the other for the EIC? This is how it was done in the past when child was a minor. Would it be the same or different as an adult?

Re: College student of divorced parents

MelindaS1 — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:58:14 GMT

No, because a child age 19 does not qualify for the Child Tax Credit, which can only be claimed for a qualifying child aged 17 and younger.

Re: College student of divorced parents

user17703169538 — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:26:26 GMT

Let me rephrase that: Can one parent claim the college student, age 19, for the Credit for Other Dependents and the other for the EIC?

Re: College student of divorced parents

Vanessa A — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:52:14 GMT

Yes. Since the parents are divorced and the 19 year old is still a qualifying child due to being a student, the parent with physical custody (lived with MORE than half of the year) can still claim the EIC for the student, while the custodial parent can still sign form 8332 to allow the non custodial parent to claim the $500 Non-refundable Other Dependent Credit. Generally though, if the student is in college, the parent who claims the child as a dependent is the one who can claim them for education credits.