Dependents over 18

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
April 7, 2021
2 replies
42 views

My children 19 & 21 are over the age limit and don't go to school and made under 4300..Lived with us all year and are not disabled. I read the child has to go to college full time. Why is Turbo Tax saying they are dependents.

DoninGA

Level 15

If the child is age 19 or older and is not a full time student then they can still be claimed as dependents if their gross income in 2020 was less than $4,300 under the Qualifying Relative rules.

To be a Qualifying Relative -

1. The person cannot be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer. A child is not the qualifying child of any other taxpayer if the child's parent (or any other person for whom the child is defined as a qualifying child) is not required to file an income tax return or files an income tax return only to get a refund on income tax withheld.
2. The person either (a) must be related to you or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household.
3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,300 (social security does not count) in 2020
4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
5. The person must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S., Canada, or Mexico resident for some part of the year.
6. The person must not file a joint return with their spouse.

Hal_Al

Level 15

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). The requirement to be a full time student only applies to QCs.

There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit and student status test, a relationship test and a residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. There is an income limit for a Qualifying Relative ($4300).