topic Question regarding dependent in Deductions & credits

Question regarding dependent

billmcse — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 04:13:13 GMT

My son is 22 and lives with me. He is a full time student and works part time. I pay the majority of the bills and claim him as a dependent. I have insurance through healthcare.gov, he has insurance through his school. I can still claim him as a dependent even though he is not on Obamacare, correct? Might sound like a silly question but I've read conflicting things on this.

Re: Question regarding dependent

SharonD007 — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:07:01 GMT

It depends. If your son meets all of the requirements below, you may be able to claim your son as a dependent on your taxes.

He must be related to you.
He can’t be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
He must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
If he is married, he can’t file a joint return with his spouse.
He must be under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
He must have lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
He didn't provide more than half of his own support for the year.

You may be eligible for the following tax benefits if you claim your son as your dependent.

Earned Income Credit (EIC)
Child Tax Credit
Medical expense deduction
Education Credits

If your son doesn't meet the requirements as your qualifying child, he may meet the requirements as your qualifying relative. For additional information, review the TurboTax article Rules for Claiming a Dependent on Your Tax Return.

If you do claim your son as your dependent and he files his own tax return, make sure that he indicates that someone else is claiming him as a dependent. Refer to the TurboTax article: How do I indicate that I can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return?

@billmcse {Edited 2/7/24:10:06 am]

Re: Question regarding dependent

Hal_Al — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 17:56:22 GMT

Q. I can still claim him as a dependent even though he is not on Obamacare, correct?

A. Yes. On or off Obamacare has no bearing on being a dependent.

Whether a person is a dependent or not may be an issue for whether somebody qualifies for Obamacare, or not. But, that's not an issue for this forum.

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and Other ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, student status, a relationship test and residence test.

A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:

He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support. Scholarships are excluded from the support calculation
He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as away at school) for more than half the year

See full dependent rules at: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Rules-for-Claiming-a-Dependent-on-Your-Tax-Return/INF12139.html