Child deduction

[lylejt]

When doing my 17 year old daughter's return, I am at the question 'Can another taxpayor claim you as a dependent on their tax return?'

I clicked on the dependent definition and it states:  Age - the person must be age 18 or under at the end of 2022 or a full time student age 23 or under.

When I was doing my tax return, it did not let me claim my daughter as it states under federal deductions/credits child and other dependent tax credits, clicking on learn more:  the tax credit is a tax break that can benefit people with children under the age of 17.

If I go by the dependent definition while doing my daughter's return, I should have been able to claim her but the child deduction/credit says 17 and under, not 18 and under.

So which one is right?

[Bsch4477]

You can claim your daughter who is under age 18 , lives with you and doesn’t provide more than half of her support. While you will not get child tax credit, you will get credit for other dependents ($500). 

[Vanessa A · Accepted solution]

Being claimed as a dependent is not the same as being eligible for the Child Tax Credit.  

To be eligible for the Child Tax Credit, she must be under 17 years old.  If she is 17 or older and you claim her as a dependent, then she is eligible for the Other Dependent Credit which is a $500 credit instead of the $2,000 Child Tax Credit.

So, yes, if your daughter meets the criteria below, you can claim her as a dependent and you should mark on her return that she can be claimed as a dependent. In addition to the other dependent credit, claiming her (if you are not married) may qualify you for Head of Household.

The following criteria must be met to claim someone as a qualifying child:

• Your child (including adopted and foster children), your sibling, or a descendent of any of them.
• Age 18 or younger at the end of the tax year OR under 24 (and younger than you and your spouse) if they are a full-time student
• Lived with you for more than 6 months during the tax year
• They did not provide more than half of their own support
• They did not file a joint return, unless it was to claim a refund

[lylejt]

I guess I didn't view it as claiming her on my return since I didn't get the full credit. On her return, I would answer it yes, correct?

[lylejt]

@Vanessa A  Sounds as if I did claim her then as I did get the $500 credit, correct?

[Bsch4477]

Definitely. And then claim her on your return.  

[lylejt]

@Bsch4477   it sounds like I did claim her since I did get the $500, correct?

[Bsch4477]

Yes.