My 23 year old son is a full time student who lives in an off campus apartment while at school. When not at school he lives at home thru the summer and the last couple months due to covid at home. He was paying the apartment with his savings. He has had no job/income the last year. We pay for health insurance, car insurance, phone and all expenses while at home and help some while at school. We are cosigners for his tuition loan. Can we claim him as a dependent as he won't be filing taxes since he had no income.
You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.
Q. Can we claim him as a dependent?
A. Yes.
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, student status, a relationship test and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.
A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:
The support value of the home, provided by the parent, is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.
You can claim him even if he did need to file a tax return. If he has sufficient income (usually more than $12,200), he can & should still file taxes. In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section. TT will check that box on form 1040.
Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.
Q. Can we claim him as a dependent?
A. Yes.
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, student status, a relationship test and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.
A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:
The support value of the home, provided by the parent, is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.
You can claim him even if he did need to file a tax return. If he has sufficient income (usually more than $12,200), he can & should still file taxes. In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section. TT will check that box on form 1040.
Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.
Thank you for the quick reply...I thought I could but wasn't positive and didn't want to give away a deduction if my son can't use it anyway since he had no job. Much appreciated.
Still have questions?
Make a postAsk questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.
eddwall
New Member
tm56
Level 1
nooralkhawaja
New Member
tbduvall
Level 4
jord775021
Level 1
Did the information on this page answer your question?
You have clicked a link to a site outside of the TurboTax Community. By clicking "Continue", you will leave the Community and be taken to that site instead.