Part-time College Student Dependent???

LW31 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:57:15 GMT

My son is 20 years old and went to college part time the whole year last year. Can he still count as my dependent? When I click on the more info button in Turbo Tax, it says dependents must be full time students for at least 5 months of the year, but when I answered all the questions in Turbo Tax as it guided me through, even though I said he had attended college part time it said that he qualifies as my dependent. I'm so confused.

Re: Part-time College Student Dependent???

Hal_Al — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 02:34:08 GMT

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. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.

The support test is different for each type. The support test, for a QC, is only that the child didn't provide more than half his own support. The support test for a Qualifying Relative is that the taxpayer provided more than half the relative's support.

Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. The Other dependent (qualifying relative) credit is worth (up to) $500 per dependent and is non-refundable. That is, it can only be used to reduce an actual tax liability.

Your son cannot be a QC because he is older than 18 and not a full time student.

A person can still be a Qualifying relative dependent, if not a Qualifying Child, if he meets the 6 tests for claiming a dependent:

Closely Related OR live with the taxpayer ALL year
His/her gross taxable income for the year must be less than $4400 (2022).
The taxpayer must have provided more than 1/2 his support

In either case:

He must be a US citizen or resident of the US, Canada or Mexico
He must not file a joint return with his spouse or be claiming a dependent of his own
He must not be the qualifying child of another taxpayer

Re: Part-time College Student Dependent???

LW31 — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 23:11:30 GMT

Thank you so much! Very informative!

topic Part-time College Student Dependent??? in Education

Part-time College Student Dependent???

Re: Part-time College Student Dependent???

Re: Part-time College Student Dependent???