topic College student son and girlfriend live with us. in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

College student son and girlfriend live with us.

raiderman — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:08:11 GMT

My son decided to move into an apartment with his girlfriend in 2020. They moved in the first week of July (6 months in my house), and then they both moved back into my house in July of 2021. Both are college students. He makes a very small income through a campus job. She has an income through a full-time (almost) job. I have always paid all college expenses, and claim him as a dependent. I have no idea about her tax status between her and her parents. How does this affect my taxes? He has never filed due to his not earning very much. Have I made mistakes?

Re: College student son and girlfriend live with us.

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:21:20 GMT

You cannot claim your son's GF as a dependent on your tax return. She is unrelated to you and did not live in your home for an entire tax year. So never mind the GF.

If you paid for over half your full-time student son's support and he is under the age of 24 then you can claim him as a dependent on your tax return. If he is under 24 he can still be claimed as your qualified child dependent. You enter the education credits on your own return.

If your son had any sort of job with tax withheld then he can file a tax return to seek a refund of the amount in box 2 and/or box 17 of his W-2, but he has to say on his return that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return.

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2021 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 $4,300 in 2021.
You provided more than half of their financial support

Re: College student son and girlfriend live with us.

raiderman — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:33:21 GMT

Thank you! I never intended to claim the GF as a dependent, I just wasn't sure if the July move was an issue. If he lives with me for EXACTLY six months, and six months on this own, is that an issue?

Re: College student son and girlfriend live with us.

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:37:24 GMT

@raiderman Your college student does not have to live with you. Living away from home while he is a full-time student is considered to be a temporary absence. So you do not have to worry about counting up the days he was under your roof.

Re: College student son and girlfriend live with us.

raiderman — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:48:52 GMT

Thanks, that helps. Would it benefit him to file also? Even though he doesn't meet the income threshold to NEED to file?

Re: College student son and girlfriend live with us.

xmasbaby0 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 18:51:36 GMT

@raiderman As I mentioned previously, if your son has a W-2 with tax withheld he can file a return to seek a refund of federal or state tax withheld. Since he is being claimed as a dependent he is not eligible for a stimulus check or for education credits himself. His only refund would come from tax withheld.