topic TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student in Education

TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

sjlocke — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:58:05 GMT

From my reading, if my 22YO daughter was a full time student for 5 months, then she is a dependent regardless of how much income she had. However, when I enter that she lived with me for 5 months (end of last year of school), TT asks me if she made more than $5050. She did make slightly more than than that since she was out of school then, but I provided more to her than that all year for her expenses. And it tells me she is not a dependent because she made more (which is for a qualifying -relative- but not a child).

If I say 7 months, then it does not ask about how much she made and she is a dependent.

How do I get the 5 months to act like the 7 months?

Re: TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

xmasbaby0 — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:01:34 GMT

We are seeing some users who are missing an important screen. Go back through the screens in MY INFO for her name. There is one titled "less common situations" in which you need to click that she was a student.

Re: TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

Bsch4477 — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:02:01 GMT

Time at school counts as time at home. Say she lived with you all year and your problem will be solved.

Re: TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

sjlocke — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:03:05 GMT

Well, I know time at school is "time at home", but the issue is that TT is treating it wrong, I guess.

Re: TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

xmasbaby0 — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:27:05 GMT

@sjlocke Did you check in MY INFO to make certain that you said she was a student?

Re: TT not acknowledging 5 months is a full time student

Hal_Al — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 23:55:26 GMT

You're mixing up the five months as a student requirement vs. the 7 months (more than half the year) she is required to live with you. They are two different rules and BOTH must be met for her to be your dependent.

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

In one place, in TT, you check that she was a fulltime student (nothing about 5 months is mentioned). In another place you say how long she lived with you (you must select 7 months or more). You count the time away at school as living with you.