topic Form 8615 in Education

Form 8615

2shoes — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:01:14 GMT

As guardian of our 19 year old grandchild, she is claimed as a dependent on our tax return. Do I fill out the parent section with my info needed on form 8615. Or do I not need this form filled out. Please advise.

Re: Form 8615

ThomasM125 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:16:28 GMT

No, you would only enter the parent's information on Form 8615. You do need to complete that form if the child was required to file a tax return, had more than $2,600 of unearned income in 2024, was under 18 or full-time student under age 24, and at least one of their parents were alive in 2024 and the child does not file a joint tax return for 2024.

Re: Form 8615

Hal_Al — Thu, 22 May 2025 11:16:25 GMT

Q. As guardian of our 19 year old grandchild, she is claimed as a dependent on our tax return. Do I fill out the parent section with my info needed on form 8615?

A. No. If form 8615 is needed, it is filled out with the parent's income info, even though the parent is not claiming the dependent.

Q. Or do I not need this form filled out?

A. If form 8615 is needed, TurboTax (TT) will automatically generate it. This happens when the child has more than $2600 of unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, unemployment, taxable portion of 529 distribution and sometimes taxable scholarship*).

*Scholarships are a hybrid between earned and unearned income. It is earned income for purposes of the $14,600 filing requirement (2024) and the dependent standard deduction calculation (earned income + $450). It is not earned income for the kiddie tax and other purposes (e.g. EIC). For grad students and post grad fellows, scholarship, stipend and fellowship income is earned income ("compensation") for IRA contributions.

Taxable scholarship goes on line 8r of Schedule 1, from which TT treats it as hybrid income.

Re: Form 8615

2shoes — Sat, 15 Mar 2025 20:27:13 GMT

Thank you for the information sent, but I need to verify that my granddaughters parents have been out of her life for the past 5 1/2 years. So on the form 8615 where a parents info is needed I do not have the ability to fill that in. How do I fill this out. She is an independent student for her grants, under our guardianship.

Re: Form 8615

Hal_Al — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:49:17 GMT

Real world solution: make a guess or use your income. All you're looking for is the tax rate.

Official answer: From the instructions for form 8615:

Parent's return information unavailable. If a child can’t get the
required information about their parent's tax return, the child (or the
child's legal representative) can request the necessary information
from the IRS.
How to request. After the end of the tax year, send a signed,
written request for the information to the Internal Revenue Service
Center where the parent's return will be filed. (The IRS can’t process
a request received before the end of the tax year.)
The request must contain all of the following.
• A statement that you are making the request to comply with
section 1(g) of the Internal Revenue Code and that you have
tried to get the information from the parent.
• Proof of the child's age (for example, a copy of the child's birth
certificate).
• Evidence the child has more than $2,600 of unearned income
(for example, a copy of the child's prior year tax return or copies
of Forms 1099 for the current year).
• The name, address, social security number (SSN) (if known),
and filing status (if known) of the parent whose information is to
be shown on Form 8615.
A child's legal representative making the request should include a
copy of their Power of Attorney, such as Form 2848, or proof of legal
guardianship.

If the parents' taxable income, filing status, or net unearned income
of the parents' other children isn't known by the original due date of
the child's return, the child should request an extension of time to file
using Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of Time To
File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i8615.pdf

Re: Form 8615

sekaminsky — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:39:57 GMT

Hello-

At what point in the Easy Step "walk me through everything" will Form 8615 pop up?

Trying to find it in the Easy Step table of contents.

Thank you!

Re: Form 8615

Hal_Al — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:56:32 GMT

Q. At what point in the Easy Step "walk me through everything" will Form 8615 pop up?

Trying to find it in the Easy Step table of contents.

A. It does not come up in "Easy Step". It's a background thing, depending on where the unearned income is entered. If the parent's info is needed, TurboTax will generate new interview questions.