Full time college kid, no income

[jlstover09]

My son is 24 and a full time graduate student. He didn't earn income but used his student loan money to pay more than half his costs to live. Can he file his own income tax or will he get flagged for not having an income? I would not claim him on my taxes as a dependent. Thank you.

[ThomasM125 · Accepted solution]

There would likely not be a reason for him to file a tax return if he had no income. The only education credit he would qualify for since he has finished four year of college would be the lifetime learning credit. However, it will not give him a refund if he has no tax like the American Opportunity credit may have afforded him when he was an undergraduate.

If he had significant scholarship income in an amount greater than his qualifying education expenses he may be required to file a tax return to report the scholarship income however. He would look on his Form 1098-T for that. If he is single, he has a standard deduction of $14,600 in 2024, so his scholarship income in excess of his qualifying education expenses would have to be over that amount be taxable.

He can use this IRS tool to see if he is required to file a tax return.