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New Member
posted Nov 5, 2020 12:43:43 PM

Can a adult child over the age of 18 that is not in college be qualified as a dependent on my tax return

Can my adult child over the age of 18 qualifyand not in college qualify as a dependent

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4 Replies
Level 15
Nov 5, 2020 12:49:13 PM

Yes if they made less than $4,250 total income for the year.  They will be a qualifying relative and not a qualifying child.  Just enter them and answer the questions in Turbo Tax to see if they qualify.

Level 15
Nov 5, 2020 12:50:27 PM
Level 15
Nov 5, 2020 1:08:05 PM


@VolvoGirl wrote:

Yes if they made less than $4,250 total income for the year.  They will be a qualifying relative and not a qualifying child.  Just enter them and answer the questions in Turbo Tax to see if they qualify.


The test for a qualifying relative dependent is 

  • The person had less than $4250 of taxable income, AND
  • You provided more than half their total support, AND
  • They do not file a joint return with a spouse, AND
  • They lived in your home every day of the year, unless they are your child, grandchild, or niece or nephew, in which case it doesn't matter where they lived. 

 

 

Or, if the child is permanently disabled and unable to perform gainful work, they can continue to be a "qualifying child" dependent as long as they lived in your home more than half the year and aren't married and don't support themselves, but still only qualify for the $500 credit due to their age. 

Level 15
Nov 6, 2020 6:56:27 AM

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("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 (Under 19 or disabled), student status, a relationship test and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. 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.